[meteorite-list] Park Forest Main Mass

From: Michael Gilmer <meteoritemike_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun, 27 Mar 2011 14:26:49 -0400
Message-ID: <AANLkTinjxoqOGSwjY+rTGe4mWadHD8-p+nNwPFTsp_wo_at_mail.gmail.com>

Hi Mark and List,

That is a great story to read and it is the first time I have ever
heard any of it. The outside appearance of the stone is a testament
to the window of neglect and abuse it suffered before it was
recognized and preserved. I wish I could find a rock like that in my
yard. I certainly wouldn't sweep up the fragments and discard them!
Wow. But, one cannot blame the owner for doing that, because he had
no idea that it was a meteorite.

So it weighs about 5-kilos and is apparently about the size of a large
grapefruit. That is so cool.

Since the time of Park Forest, meteorites have received a lot of media
attention and have entered into the pop-culture lexicon. The chances
of a freshly-fallen meteorite (even an abused one) not being
recognized are smaller than in years prior to falls like Buzzard
Coulee, Ash Creek, Mifflin, Almahata Sitta, Carancas, and many others)

Best regards and thanks for sharing the story,

MikeG

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Mike Gilmer - Galactic Stone & Ironworks Meteorites

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On 3/27/11, Mark Hammergren <mhammergren at yahoo.com> wrote:
> The Olympia Fields gentleman whose lawn this stone fell into returned to
> town more than a week after the fall. When he got back, he saw a hole in his
> front yard, along with a "whole bunch" of stone chips in his driveway. He
> assumed the city parks department, which was maintaining a park nearby, had
> left this mess on his property. So he swept up and threw away the stone
> chips (yes, this is painful, I know!), and called the city to come repair
> his lawn.
>
> The workers dug up the hole, found the meteorite, and recognized it for what
> it was. Then, amazingly enough, they knocked on his door, gave it back to
> him, told him they thought it was a meteorite and likely worth a lot of
> money, and went on their way.
>
> He called me a little while after that, said he thought he had a meteorite,
> and wondered if I could verify that's what it was. I'd received hundreds of
> such inquiries, with only a few of them proving to be meteorites, so I was
> doubtful. But when he gave me his address, which was right at the high mass
> end of the strewnfield, and described the stone, I had a suspicion his rock
> might be the real thing. When I got a chance to examine it in person, it was
> unmistakable. Quite rusted from spending two weeks in soggy sod, yes, but a
> genuine Park Forest meteorite.
>
> I took some photos and weighed it, then took him and the stone down to the
> Field Museum, where their meteorite collections manager (at the time)
> examined it herself. I walked the gentleman back to his car, advised him
> that while his meteorite was of significant scientific interest, it was also
> quite valuable to collectors (museum ethics forbids me from giving specific
> appraisals). I made sure he understood that since the meteorite fell on his
> property, he legally owned the meteorite, and that no other public or
> private organizations had a claim on it. He asked if I could recommend a
> meteorite dealer, but museum ethics similarly forbid me from recommending a
> specific dealer. I referred him to IMCA, and also said he could simply
> Google "meteorite dealer". He left, and I never heard any more from him.
>
> If someone has subsequently dealt with the owner, and knows more about what
> happened to the stone, I'd be interested in hearing about it.
>
> Best regards,
> Mark
>
> --- On Sun, 3/27/11, Michael Gilmer <meteoritemike at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> From: Michael Gilmer <meteoritemike at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Park Forest Main Mass
>> To: "e-mail ensoramanda" <ensoramanda at ntlworld.com>
>> Cc: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
>> Date: Sunday, March 27, 2011, 9:04 AM
>> Hi Graham, Bill, and List,
>>
>> That was my initial reaction as well. I have never
>> previously seen
>> the photos that Bill posted, and I was expecting velvety
>> black crust
>> as well. This stone looks like it has seen better
>> days.
>>
>> I'd be curious to hear more about the circumstances of it -
>> where it
>> was found, when, etc.
>>
>> Best regards and happy huntings,
>>
>> MikeG
>>
Received on Sun 27 Mar 2011 02:26:49 PM PDT