[meteorite-list] Statistically Speaking (Vaca Muerta)

From: Bernd V. Pauli <bernd.pauli_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2011 09:43:48 +0000
Message-ID: <DIIE.0000007400002FF3_at_10.0.100.101>

Hi Ruben, Doug, AL, All ;-)

PEDERSEN H. et al. (1992) Vaca Muerta mesosiderite strewnfield
(Meteoritics 27-2, 1992, 126-135, Appendix A: Synonyms, p. 134):

As often happened with meteorite finds from the last century, the material
was assigned a variety of names. In the case of Vaca Muerta, this is particularly
understandable, since the meteorites were collected over a long interval of time
and from a sparsely populated area.

Some of the material passed through several hands, during which specific
provenance information was lost. Nevertheless, the synonyms listed for
Vaca Muerta (Graham et al., 1985) offer a source of information on the
location and size of the strewnfield.

The most interesting are probably those discussed below. Others are too vague
to be of value (Cha?aral, Taltal, Chile) or even misleading (Sierra de Chaco,
Mejillones, San Pedro, San Pedro de Atacama, Harvard University).

Vaca Muerta (i.e., Dead Cow), Quebrada de Vaca Muerta: This name is first used
by Domeyko (1875). As a geographical location, it appears in print only rarely.
On a map studied by Fletcher (1889) and on one published by Espinoza (1897), Llano
de (la) Vaca Muerta, is a plain, south or south-east of Taltal. In 1883 a number
of rich silver mines were discovered in the coastal mountains of that area.

One of them was initially known as Vaca Muerta (Vicu?ia Mackenna, 1883; Fletcher,
1889; Domeyko, 1897), but soon it received the "glorious name Esmeralda" (San Ramon, 1911).

Finally, six named meteorites are marked on a map of mines in the provinee of
Antofagasta, hand-drawn by Emilio Arnes, in 1934. Vaca Muerta is plotted as a
position about 30 km north of the place where we found the largest masses.
Sundt (1909) says that he saw the meteorites near a hill called Burro Muerto
(Dead Donkey).


Best wishes,

Bernd
Received on Tue 22 Nov 2011 04:43:48 AM PST