[meteorite-list] Our next major source of meteorites?

From: Mark Ford <mark.ford_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 11 May 2010 08:56:03 +0100
Message-ID: <29A9DB45B84970458190D7D39BD42C499D20C4_at_gamma.ssl.atw>

Well said Martin! - policy makers and private hunting skeptics take note!

Up side of no meteorite hunting/export regulations = many new finds
Down side of no meteorite regulations = higher prices/value (though this actually leads to more finds)

Up side of meteorite regulation = meteorites left in the ground
Downside of meteorite regulation = next to none available for study or collectors (i.e no one wins) the rocks carry on rusting!

Mark





-----Original Message-----
From: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com [mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] On Behalf Of Martin Altmann
Sent: 10 May 2010 23:05
To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Our next major source of meteorites?

Australia.

Melanie, Australia was Eden, Mecca, El Dorado, Tara, Oh Ashley!, for
meteorites. So it has the potential. Unfortunately it felt due a wrong
policy into a dark age for the last 2 decades, but I'm confident, that I
still will live to see the renaissance of Australian meteorites.

You know Melanie, I read some weeks ago the annual report of the Western
Australia Museum of the period 2007/2008 - there it's said, that it is
planned to enlarge the meteorite collection,
Alas - in the same report is told, that in that period at the WA museum they
worked on and finally published only ONE single new Australian meteorite.

And that isn't acceptable, that's a declaration of bankruptcy.

Researchers and scientists have always to match with the work of researchers
in other countries, with colleagues of the scientific community to evaluate
the quality of their work.
And on the other hand researchers have to compete among each other for the
financial means for their research. If such a branch of science yields
almost no results, then sooner or later it will be abandoned, because it
isn't justified to spent public means for these purposes.
In Australia meteoritics maybe has survived that immense decline and
bleeding only so long, because of its rich tradition in meteoritics. Was
once together with USA meteorite nation #1.
Else, like it happened in other countries, after such a long unsuccessful
period meteoritics would have been stopped there more or less. But that
legacy can be also a burden, because it could force the Australian
meteoriticists to explain, why all the years before the "Dark Age" dozens of
new finds were made and now less than 1 find per year and why in so many
other countries with deserts, including USA, the find rates of new
meteorites exploded during the very same period.


Therefore I think the meteoriticists feel a certain pressure and things will
turn back to reason one day. In fact, there are already some Australian
scientists worried about, google around and you will find a proposal from a
gentleman from the Bathurst Observatory to ease the legal restrictions
regarding meteorites, so that finally there will be found some again.

The way to find back to old glory and to restore meteorite science in
Australia is very easy, as all pre-conditions are not only existent, but
excellent!
I don't know the exact mechanisms regarding legislation there, whether you
need a petition ect. to amend existing laws (and that isn't my cup of tea),
but look Melanie, Australia has some very famous meteoriticists, Dr.Bevan
for instance - and I could imagine, that he wouldn't feel comfort to leave
Australian meteoritics behind in such a desolate estate and that he will
feel constraint to the once so famous meteorite tradition of Australia,
that he will put all the weight of his capacity and his name into the scale,
to improve the situation in Australia, wouldn't he?

The methods are clear, and the Aussies made their experiences already,
regarding the question, how new finds will be generated.
Just allow finding and a fair incentive for the owner, and you'll have your
meteorites.

Hunting by public financed expeditions could be somewhat too expensive, and
such hunts are always somewhat limited.
I read also a paper of one of the Euromet-hunts in Australia some weeks ago.
(Had no internet connetion for some days, would have to search it again,
don't know at the moment, whether it was 1993, was that one with Bevan,
Koeberl et al.)
There they were going in the known strewnfields, for training, found 7.5kgs
of Mundrabillas, 5 pounds of Millbillillies, a few Mulga-chondrites - and
then they found additionally 3kg new OCs or so.
Euromet, Melanie, was a consortium of European universities with the
objective to recover new meteorites.
Well, only the annual costs for personnel were around 20 millions of today's
USD. - well, you know, a Mundrabilla of the private sector costs today
0.5$-3.5$/g (rough specimen - perfectly brilliant etch) and a Millbillillie
5-15$/g (depending on size and quality) - btw. meteorites where export
clearances are available. Nja well and unclassified averagely weathered
chondrites, like they found else, you know them, as it's your slogan below
your posts, if they are UNWAs they cost 0.03-0.05$/g + postage.
Hummmm, I know it's not fair, because in fact Euromet made also science and
research, but with that exemplary expedition, we are at 1000-2000$/g for
their Australian finds, costs for the public, if we blank all other targets
than the main target of Euromet. Again: science costs, what it costs - that
was now solely to give a vague impression for the discrepancy of the
acquisition costs for the public between privately generated finds and
publically funded finds.

So best is to allow again the professional hunters and the amateur hunters
to find and to deliver meteorites.

Of course Australia never will be able to have find rates like Sahara,
But nevertheless I think Australia easily could rival Oman. And that's a
lot. Certainly better than like now - 7 finds in 10 years on a continent
with a lot of deserts.

So I say, they had their period of learning, unfortunately they chose to
learn it the hard way, now it's time to overcome and to change...

...and it is highest time for Australian lunaite #2,3,4 and the first three
Australian Martians!

And if I will still live to see that happen, not only me as old man, but
many other old men and women will be very happy.

Best!
Martin
  
   


-----Urspr?ngliche Nachricht-----
Von: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com
[mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] Im Auftrag von Melanie
Matthews
Gesendet: Montag, 10. Mai 2010 09:03
An: Meteorite List
Betreff: [meteorite-list] Our next major source of meteorites?

Were abouts in the world could it be? The Atacama desert in Chile (where in
some areas it never rains and hasn't rained for thousands of years)?

I'm talking about when it gets to the point that so few can be found anymore
the Sahara.

 -----------
Melanie
IMCA: 2975
eBay: metmel2775
Known on SkyRock Cafe as SpaceCollector09

Unclassified meteorites are like a box of chocolates... you never know what
you're gonna get!




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Received on Tue 11 May 2010 03:56:03 AM PDT