[meteorite-list] Oxygen isotopes

From: Carl Agee <agee_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2011 10:08:02 -0600
Message-ID: <AANLkTikfYDwXB7MHP1vK+KG51u0NgZcOPLgse3Am9pFW_at_mail.gmail.com>

Hi Laurence and All:

We are doing 16, 17, 18O on silicates from meteorites now by laser
fluorination at UNM. Give us holler if you have something interesting!

Best regards,

Carl Agee

PS: I agree -- for good data, lots of work and $$$

Carl B. Agee
Director and Curator, Institute of Meteoritics
Professor, Earth and Planetary Sciences
MSC03 2050
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131-1126

Tel: (505) 750-7172
Fax: (505) 277-3577
Email: agee at unm.edu
http://epswww.unm.edu/iom/pers/agee.html

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Message: 15
Date: Sun, 20 Mar 2011 23:22:43 -0700
From: Laurence Garvie <lgarvie at cox.net>
Subject: [meteorite-list] meteorite classification costs
To: "meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com"
? ? ? ?<meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Message-ID: <B118E029-438B-4AE7-9AF8-904CBE6B8A81 at cox.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

The question comes up from time to time about the cost of classifying
a meteorite and also regarding turn around time.

The actual cost varies significantly depending on the type of meteorite.

For example, base cost for an equilibrated OC
1) thin section $30 (the cheapest part of the process)
2) two hours on a microprobe $200 (machine costs at cheap university
rates and not including the time to set up the probe which can take
several hours)
3) operator cost are more difficult to assess but I would imagine
their two hours on the probe plus another hour or two of putting the
data together and submitting it - so lets say another $200 minimum
So around $500.

Now for an unquilibrated OC (since you need a good spread of Cr2O3
data) I would say at least eight hours on the probe so over $1000

Now if you need oxygen isotopes, then this by itself could easily cost
$1000 (plus the $1000 for the rest of classification). But good luck
finding a lab to run the 16,17,18O isotopes. Most isotope labs only
run 16O and 18O.


In reality, the true costs are not passed on to the owner of the
stone, but instead are borne by the institute undertaking the work.
Some classifiers will charge a nominal fee to cover probe time, but
again that is a small fraction of what it would cost if you wanted
probe work done in a lab at industrial rates.


Turn around time - days to years depending on how interesting the ?stone is.

Laurence
CMS
ASU

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Received on Mon 21 Mar 2011 12:08:02 PM PDT