[meteorite-list] Is there a Main Mass list?

From: Jeff Grossman <jngrossman_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:48:12 -0500
Message-ID: <4F20405C.8030409_at_gmail.com>

None of this is something I want to track in the MB Database. It would
be too difficult and time-consuming to track an ever-changing and often
controversial list. Moreover, as you say, it isn't a particularly
useful thing to tabulate. I'll leave it to collectors to take on this task.

Jeff

On 1/25/2012 5:15 AM, MexicoDoug wrote:
> " A main mass list? Heck, there isn't even a "main mass" definition
> everybody agrees on! Here's mine:"
>
> Hi Jeff, all,
>
> A main mass has some scientific value IMO in some circumstances. But
> really, it seems to me one of those things that we keep having to fill
> out on a boilerplate form that serves of little real scientific
> value. Better would be to drop the confusing, unfortunately now
> unscientfic (due to the various definitions as you already reminded
> us) term "main mass" and just have an entry called,
>
> "biggest known piece" = BKP
>
> which is already used analogously in the case of TKW.
>
> in the database. It's really what most collectors are interested in
> anyway and would create probably a bunch more of limited useful
> information llike the TKW's which frequently are significantly
> understated. My take on a 'main mass' wouldn't require it to be more
> than half, but rather the principal piece of the original meteoroid
> from which all fragmentation is derived, and the one expected to
> travel furthest up the dispersion ellipse's axis shedding it all. I
> suppose a scenario of a boulder splitting into two equal pieces would
> screw that up too, but then we could drop some fancier names to
> describe that 'degenerate' case.
>
> Just sounding off
>
> Kindest wishes
> Doug
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jeff Grossman <jngrossman at gmail.com>
> To: meteorite-list <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
> Sent: Tue, Jan 24, 2012 11:33 am
> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Is there a Main Mass list?
>
>
> A main mass list? Heck, there isn't even a "main mass" definition
> everybody agrees on! Here's mine:
>
> "An individual stone/iron or piece of an individual stone/iron that
> comprises the majority (> 50%) of the known mass of a named meteorite."
>
> Jeff
>
> On 1/24/2012 10:08 AM, Bob Loeffler wrote:
>> Hi list,
>>
>> After looking at Jim Strope?s photos of the New Concord main mass
> (Rocks
>> from Space Picture of the Day a couple days ago) that he got in a
> trade with
>> ASU (my alma mater; Go Sun Devils!), I thought of a question:
>>
>> Who has the most main masses in their collection? Of course, I
> thought of
>> people like Bob Haag, Mike Farmer, etc and museums like the
> Smithsonian,
>> ASU, etc.
>>
>> Has anyone ever put together such a list? Because of trading, the
> list
>> might be hard to keep updated, but maybe not since main masses are
> coveted
>> and might not be passed around too much. For new falls, the main
> mass will
>> change as newer/bigger pieces are found, but I would think "someone
> in the
>> know" could put together the list, or at least start it.
>>
>> If nobody has such a list, maybe the Meteoritical Bulletin Database
> could
>> have a few more fields added for easy searching. Fields such as Main
> Mass
>> Weight, Main Mass Owner and Main Mass Image (for the best photo of
> the main
>> mass), and then the Owner field could be easily changed if the
> Meteoritical
>> Society finds out that the main mass was sold/traded to someone else.
>> Anyway, just a thought.
>>
>> In case you are wondering, I have no main masses in my collection.
> :-(
>>
>> Regards,
>> Bob L.
>>
>>
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Received on Wed 25 Jan 2012 12:48:12 PM PST