[meteorite-list] Why isnt documenting meteorites stressed enough?

From: Greg Catterton <star_wars_collector_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:05:27 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <575932.9378.qm_at_web46411.mail.sp1.yahoo.com>

I agree 100% that locations should be recorded.
If you look at the job that Jack and Dave did with the Whetstone fall, as I have said before, that should set the benchmark for recoveries and recording locations. Anything less should be unacceptable.
The time that was spent to record each stone recovered will add so much to the provenance of the stone.

I am one of the first to talk about how unreasonable the $100 per gram price tag that is put onto new falls is, buy in my opinion, just the documentation behind Whetstone is worth any amount asked for it.
Im sure not just collectors but anyone would agree that documentation is of utmost importance when purchasing and collecting material.

I remember with the West fall, strewnfield maps were supposed to be done but after all this time, not one page has been released.
I personally think the time spent with documentation and careful records will show where the hunters motivations are. Those that are out for the quick buck will grab and go for the next. Those that are interested in the actual science will do what Jack and Dave did from here out.

I would like to see all recoveries treated in the same manner, and challenge all the hunters to step up and record everything you can... you want $100 per gram? Get everyone good documentation!

Just my thoughts on it.


Greg Catterton
www.wanderingstarmeteorites.com
IMCA member 4682
On Ebay: http://stores.shop.ebay.com/wanderingstarmeteorites


--- On Sat, 3/13/10, Meteorites USA <eric at meteoritesusa.com> wrote:

> From: Meteorites USA <eric at meteoritesusa.com>
> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Why isnt documenting meteorites stressed enough?
> To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> Date: Saturday, March 13, 2010, 2:48 PM
> Hi Shawn,
>
> I agree that the public needs to be informed about how to
> recover meteorites in the field and preserve scientific
> data.
>
> Recovering meteorites and their coordinates is vitally
> imporant to the science of meteorites. However the degree of
> importance is also based in part on how long a meteorite has
> been on the ground, whether it's on the surface or is
> buried, the type of a meteorite it is, and the ground it's
> recovered on. Meteorite fragments found on dry lake beds or
> anywhere on "old ground", do in fact move. In my opinion
> coordinate data is still valuable, but not as valuable as
> say data from a fresh meteorite fall. This of course relates
> to the time a meteorite has been on the ground. There are
> many variables to take into account, and I'm sure I'm
> forgetting some but here's some of those variables or
> dynamics... If a meteorite fall happened 1000 years ago, and
> the area it fell is NOT subject to a lot of weathering,
> wind, rains, floods, etc, then each coordinate is still very
> important to science and for locating more fragments or
> other whole stones from the same meteorite fall. However, if
> a meteorite fell say on a slope of ground, or a highly
> hostile environment, weather and time will take over and the
> meteorite could move miles from it's original fall location.
> This also depends on size and weight of the stone, whether
> there was a flood, whether it was an iron meteorite or a
> stone.
>
> A stony iron meteorite strewnfield for example will show
> how coordinates from a meteorite that fell many years ago is
> still vitally important to science. This also goes to type.
> The Brenham meteorite strewnfield is a perfect example of an
> older fall event that humans are just now (geologically
> speaking) recovering. The recovery of more specimens from
> this fall is due in large part from coordinates. Coordinates
> allow one to "predict" with some accuracy where other larger
> or smaller pieces "should" be located based on the dynamics
> of any given fall.
>
> Some people would have you believe recording coordinates is
> not important. I personally believe it is vitally important
> to the advancement of meteorite science, and I'm reasonably
> sure the the vast majority of meteorite hunters and
> scientists out there feel the same way.
>
> Regards,
> Eric Wichman
> Meteorites USA
>
>
> On 3/12/2010 10:16 PM, Shawn Alan wrote:
> > Hello List,
> >
> > This has been a good topic and I can see the
> importance of people trying to document finds of meteorites.
> If that be taking a photo and remembering where you found it
> or explaining to your friends about the time you where in
> the mountains and you found a strange rock. Each individuals
> experience will be different and the knowledge that one
> might have in documentations of the coordinates will vary as
> well.
> >
> > A good example, at work a co worker told me a story
> about when he was a young kid he would going off with some
> of his friends and look for meteorites. At the time I bet
> they had no clue what they looked like or even if they
> really did find them. At any rate by him sharing that story
> he was able to tell his experience with me when he was a kid
> collecting meteorites.
> >
> > Now from a scientific stand point he did a big mistake
> and didn?t bust out his play school gps hand held devise
> from Toys R US and take the coordinates down. He knew no
> difference what to do, nor do most people that are novice to
> meteorite collecting, they just pick up the meteorite and
> have a great story to tell. But if anything the veterans of
> meteorite collecting might want to set a good example with
> people at large. However it's harder then excepted and I
> have a big question I would like to address about the
> Meteorite Men show.
> >
> > First I need to say I enjoyed the show and I hope for
> season two, thank you Steve and Jeff. Also I can?t express
> the importance of shows that cover science and I think we
> need more shows like this format. At any rate I have seen
> only two episodes which were the first and the fifth episode
> twice. However the thing that got to me was that at not time
> during those two episodes did any one express the importance
> of documenting the coordinate of meteorites found during
> each episode. What was stress was the secrecy of each
> location and the amount the meteorites can cost on the open
> market.
> >
> > This was further displayed in episode five where for
> 30 minutes you watched Steve, Jeff, and Sonny pick up
> meteorite fragments after meteorite fragments without
> stressing that in the field one should take the time to
> document the find and record the information. The only thing
> that I did see that got documented was on the screen how big
> their pocket books were getting from finding meteorites on
> the dry lake bed.
> >
> > These actions could send wrong messages to people
> about how to go about hunting for meteorites that watched
> the show. If they see that the Meteorite Men are at these
> secret locations, this secrecy can perpetuates the lack
> of? importance of documentation, they no better and are
> only doing what is seen on TV. I hope with future shows the
> documenting process will be stressed more on how this step
> furthers the progress of meteorite science.
> >
> > Shawn Alan
> >
> >
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Received on Sat 13 Mar 2010 03:05:27 PM PST