[meteorite-list] Sedimentary Martian Meteorites

From: cdtucson at cox.net <cdtucson_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2011 13:00:10 -0400
Message-ID: <20110322130010.7KQ9V.183532.imail_at_fed1rmwml40>

David, Walter, list,
I think you may be right here.
Maybe they have no fusion crust.
Perhaps my link to the artificial meteorite study did not work so here it is again;

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Stone_6_Artificial_Meteorite_Shows_Martian_Impactors_Could_Carry_Traces_Of_Life_999.html

It clearly states as a matter of fact that sedimentary rocks either had a white crust or no crust at all when put to the test.

So, if this is the science speaking. Why should we expect anything but white crust or No crust at all?
This suggests that the only way a Scientist is going to be willing to spend their time on anything like this is if they are paid to do it.
So far Nobody is actually paid to do it. I have been told this by professors themselves. That they do meteorite classifications as a side job and only if they want to.
 As a case in point. I showed a well known lunar expert a cut and polished stone. I told him that many people in the meteorite field have seen this stone and all believe it to be of Lunar origin. He looked closely at it with a loop and said;" it does look like a lunar. It has a good 50% chance of it being Lunar But, I have NO interest in classifying it. Call Dolores". That is an exact quote. I emailed Dolores and Dolores does not respond to my emails or phone messages.
 I was told by her husband that she too has no incentive to classify even Lunar's. He went on to say that they can apply for federal money (grants) after a meteorite is authenticated but NOT before. So, maybe down the road they may be able to get paid to study the rock but, Not until later. In her defense she is super busy with the MESSENGER Mercury mission and from what I understand will be for quite some time.
This is a very sad story. Why doesn't NASA fund this? I mean we talk about NASA's great accomplishments in space yet they seem to ignore the freebies found here on Earth. And finally the other problem is access. Politics plays a huge role in classification. There are certain people who get rock star treatment when it comes to hot finds while others are ignored. Sure , high profile players should get the attention of scientists but, I'm told others are actually being "blackballed" by scientists? So, again I say. put politics aside by giving scientists an incentive with cash and I think we will find sedimentary meteorites in a hurry.
If it's true that meteorites have their own ranges of chemistry and if it's true that they can be charted and graphed by scientists like Randy Korotev as documented evidence that they are purported to be. If it plots on the chart correctly then that is proof it is Lunar and if it does not plot that is proof it is not. Then, I see Blain Reed's XRF gun as a great aid to Scientists. Here he has an opportunity to weed out the bad prospects and document the chemistry of the good ones. The ones that do plot on those very exclusive charts and graphs should be looked at with priority.
But, even with having all the right chemistry and all the right minerals. We still need Oxygen isotopes done to clinch the deal.
This is not available to the public. So, we still need to convince Scientists that what we have may be a meteorite.
As a hunter for 23 years I know that there are a lot of odd and out of place rocks out there.
So hopefully some day we can overcome all of these problems. I think money is the answer.
Carl

Carl or Debbie Esparza
Meteoritemax


---- David Norton <renov8hotels at earthlink.net> wrote:
> I would think the answer to your question is simpler than the science trying
> to explain why we do not have this material in our possession. The stones in
> questions are more likely unrecognized, particularly if there is a lack of
> fusion crust. Reference our own understanding (recognition) of meteorites 50
> years ago and 100 years ago. Our knowledge base has expanded substantially
> and continues to improve (evolve) as more material is studied. For those of
> you who have seen hundreds or thousands of meteorites and compare those
> observations to the "meteorite identification checklists" that can be found
> commonly, you know that the atypical exists everywhere.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com
> [mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] On Behalf Of Walter
> Branch
> Sent: Monday, March 21, 2011 7:57 PM
> To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> Subject: [meteorite-list] Sedimentary Martian Meteorites
>
> Hello Steve, Carl and List,
>
> Thanks very much for the comments.
>
> I am at a distinct disadvantage, not having a background in geology so
> please bear with me.
>
> I understand exothermic processes but...
>
> The oldest sedimentary rocks are found in various places such as Greenland,
> Hudson Bay in northern Quebec, Western Australia, etc. These rocks are
> billions of years old, yet they are still recognized as sedimentary rocks.
> Why? Should they not have disappeared long ago? Would you say these rocks
> were never exposed to heat, water or weathering?
>
> I would think that traveling through space, where obviously no terrestrial
> weathering occurs, potential Martian sedimentary rocks would not undergo
> weathering until they landed on Earth which would be on the order of
> millions of years ago. Much more recent than the oldest Earth sedimentary
> rocks.
>
> It may very well be that the reason we don't have any Martian sedimentary
> rocks in our collections (scientific and otherwise) is because they have all
>
> weathered away or at least to the point where we would not recognize them as
>
> being Martian, or even meteoritic, in origin.
>
> Yes, I have looked at Dr. Irving's site.
>
> http://www.imca.cc/mars/martian-meteorites.htm
>
> It's a great site and is on my favorites list but he doesn't speculate as to
>
> why we have no Martian sedimentary rocks, which is what I am most interested
>
> in.
>
>
> -Walter
>
>
>
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Received on Tue 22 Mar 2011 01:00:10 PM PDT