[meteorite-list] NWA meteorites, TO BE OR NOT TO BE?

From: Martin Altmann <altmann_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2010 17:18:29 +0200
Message-ID: <003101cb49e8$eedd4530$cc97cf90$_at_de>

Hi Shawn,

Am in a hurry,

Only some quick points..

>I wonder why some institutions don't except NWA meteorites anymore to be
analyzed?

No, I never heard of a classifying lab, which refused to analyze a
meteorite, because it was an NWA.

It happens, that weathered chondrites, hence the bulk of meteorites from
Sahara, aren't accepted.
But only, because the labs are completely overloaded with meteorites waiting
to be classified.

You must see, that before the hot desert rush, aside Antarctica, all labs
together around the world had to classify per year not more than 30-50 new
finds or so.
Nowadays a single meteoriticist, if he's very active, classifies alone up to
200 stones a year.
And if one would want to classify all NWAs, hence also the bulk of ordinary
chondrites, one would have to make many thousands per year.
Thus, there are not enough free capacities. That's the only reason.

That then the researchers rather like to analyze the scientifically more
thrilling types, the rare ones and the exotics, is understandable, cause
they are more interesting and the chance to recover something unusual or
even new is much higher, than to work on the 3000th H5, W3s and 2000th
L6,W4s - and the ordinary chondrites all in all are meanwhile of course well
researched, simply because they were all the centuries the most predominant
group of finds.

And finally a classification costs money. Thin sections cost 100$, a trained
scientist to do the analyses let's say 100$/hour, the equipment isn't that
cheap, a microprobe for instance costs 1-2 million $, the measuring hour
200$, if used....
So it's reasonable to give the preference to the more rare types, if the
resources are limited.


Best!
Martin


-----Urspr?ngliche Nachricht-----
Von: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com
[mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] Im Auftrag von Shawn
Alan
Gesendet: Mittwoch, 1. September 2010 07:51
An: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
Betreff: [meteorite-list] NWA meteorites, TO BE OR NOT TO BE?

Hello Martin and Listers,
?
Thank you Martin?for your post and the cheese bit. It got me to thinking and
when I got out of the gym tonight,?I had to buy some?parmesan cheese. I love
that stuff. I put it on everything, when I can afford it. But for?some
reason, cheese in NYC seems over priced, lets hope this doesn't happen with
meteorites :) cause I will go broke with collecting every meteorite out
there........ Just kidding,?I have my select few meteorites that I collect,
and from what I can tell, location, location, location plays a big role in
the collecting side to the science side of meteorites.
?
Perfect example, The first Lunar meteorite discovered outside of Antarctica,
Calcalong Creek from Australia, by Robert Haag. From what I have?read, a
gram of that meteorite was selling for about?$40,000. And now the race is on
for the first person to discover the first Lunar meteorite in the US. And
Martin?you say location doesn't really matter, but it does, even on a
scientific level.
?
Now I bet if a scientist didn't know where the meteorite came from it would
be harder for them to analyze the stone because of contamination which they
didn't know about from where the meteorite came from. Or when it comes to
field work, when people are looking over the strewn field they can predict
how big the meteorite was, what angle it came in at, because of the useful
information collected by people in the field. These elements?are just as
important in meterotic science as the meteorite its self.
?
Almahata Sitta is a great example of how the location of the meteorite was
just as important as the meteorite. Almahata Sitta is made up of many
different meteorite classifications. Now if scientists didn't have the
ability to document the location of the meteorite fall?and just said "here
are?some meteorites but we don't have the location cause that doesn't
matter" I wonder where we would be at with the many discoveries with the
Almahata Sitta meteorite and countless other meteroites??
?
Now you see how location can be the best for both worlds. I wonder why some
institutions don't except NWA meteorites anymore to be?analyzed? Is that
because they are from NWA and nothing more, or is it that there isn't any
regulation of how they are collected, or is?that they cost too much money
cause they are rare? I might have an idea why some institutions wont touch
them but it really doesn't matter what I say but the fact of the matter
is?location might be the factor or the lack there of of why some
institutions don't touch NWA's.
?
Martin,?you made a good point about how people collect. Some collect for the
history side?and others?collect from the science side. I collect with
both?sides in mind. I think all the factors can play a great role in ones
collection and how this collection can be of value?from a scientific side,
to a collectors side.?I collect NWA's?all the way to historic falls. But at
the end of the day I want to know where my meteorites came from. A?meteorite
is a meteorite but what makes a meteorite more than a meteorite is the
history behind the fall, where it came from,?and how that meteorite impacted
science. But that one take, and?I collect with both sides in mind. ?????

Shawn Alan
IMCA1633
eBaystore
http://shop.ebay.com/photophlow/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p

4340
Received on Wed 01 Sep 2010 11:18:29 AM PDT