[meteorite-list] To the past or future finders of Sutter's Mill Meteorites

From: Qing-Zhu Yin <qyin_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 4 Jun 2012 17:11:42 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <201206050011.q550BgIx025931_at_xylocopa.ucdavis.edu>

Dear Art,
I am trying again to post the message. Please let me know if this works.
Qing-zhu

(Joint message released from Qing-zhu Yin, Pierre Rochette, Ken Verosub)

To the past or future finders of Sutter's Mill stones (and more generally
to all meteorite hunters): please do not stick magnets on your finds!

This cause irremediable damage to their scientific value (erasing their
magnetic memory). Moreover it is a useless habit to recognize meteorites.
A lot of rare types are hardly attracted by magnet (R, some CV, CM, most
angrite, martian, lunar, HED?). The only interest we see for using a magnet
is when you search a known ordinary chondrite strewn field. or iron
meteorite. A number of terrestrial rock (including the basalt gravels that
may look like Sutter's Mill) are well attracted by strong magnet.

Unfortunately we are seeing some pieces have been wiped with a magnet. For
those of you who can be sure that their SM piece has not been seeing a
magnet, please consider helping science by a loan of a small fragment. It
will be non-destructive analyses at UC Davis and it will be quick. It takes
a few minutes to an hour.

We can quickly and easily look at the magnetization of any samples smaller
than 5-10 cc to determine which ones might not have been remagnetized by
collectors. Then we can try to do paleointensity studies on those (meaning
how strong the magnetic field was 4.5 billion years ago in the nascent
solar system). We can also characterize the magnetic properties of any
sample, including ones that have been remagnetized. Most of these
measurements can be done quickly and easily without any chemical or
physical destruction of the material. We could do a quick screening and
decide which magnetic measurements made sense for each sample. They could
then decide which ones to leave with us for more analysis and which ones
they wanted to take back immediately.

In addition, there are a number of non-destructive analyses which could be
done: including X-ray computed tomography (to see through what is inside as
done for human bodies). We (Denton Ebel and Qing-Zhu Yin) have already done
work on two specimens (SM3 and SM9) and submitted a conference report on
May 29th. A few more are currently planned. We will need to do more of
these analyses. CT scan images and movies shall be shared with the owner of
the samples. Those of you who want to see examples of those CT movies,
could come to my office and labs at UC Davis.

We also urgently need to do more of gamma ray counting of more specimens.
This will help us to determine the pre-atmospheric entry meteoroid size
before break up, among other information we could learn. These will require
samples to travel overseas in deep underground facilities (either in North
Japan or Italian Alps). The equivalent facilities in US was shut down many
years ago due to funding situation unfortunately. The test time is
typically 1 month. The specimens will be shipped back and forth with FedEx
or any other insured carrier.

If people are interested in having these test done (no harm is done to the
specimens) but help science in big way, please have them contact me. See my
contact information below.

All the information we have so far indicate the organic content of SM
meteorite is very very low. The implication is that this would require
LARGE amount of material made available to scientists so that we can
extract those minute quantities of amino acids and other organics and
presolar stardust grains for mass spectrometric analyses (these are the two
primary potentials that the SM meteorites could offer. We need public to
come forward. Your support is deeply appreciated to realize its full
potential.

Respectively,

Qing-zhu Yin

________________________________________________
Qing-Zhu Yin, PhD
Chancellor's Fellow 2011-2016
Associate Professor
Department of Geology
Earth and Physical Sciences (EPS) Building
University of California, Davis
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616

Tel: 1-530-752-0934 (Office: EPS 3129)
        1-530-220-4076 (Cell Phone)
             1-530-752-0637 (Yin Lab-ICP^2-EPS 3230)
Fax: 1-530-752-0951 (Department)
E-mail: qyin at ucdavis.edu
http://www.geology.ucdavis.edu/faculty/yin.html
________________________________________________
Please check out our new book published by Cambridge University Press on
April 12th, 2012
www.cambridge.org/9781107600768 (paperback edition)
www.cambridge.org/9780521760256 (hardback edition)


> Hi Dr. Yin;
>
> Posts should appear immediately. Check to make sure that your email
> client is configured to send email as plain text (as opposed to Rich
> Text, or HTML) as sometimes this will cause issues with emails being
> delivered. Also, next time you post please cc: blurtheline at gmail.com
> and I will see what happens to the post.
>
> Best Regards, Art
>
> On Sat, Jun 2, 2012 at 9:55 PM, Qingzhu Yin <qyin at ucdavis.edu> wrote:
> > Dear Metlist manager,
> > I am writing to find out if the following message I sent to June 1 to
> > meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com?was posted or not. I have not seen
> it in
> > the met list since I sent the email, but sure how long does it take to
> get
> > the messages posted.
> > Your help would be appreciated.
> > Qingzhu
> >
> > On Jun 1, 2012, at 2:09 AM, Qingzhu Yin wrote:
> >
> > (Joint message released from Qing-zhu Yin, Pierre Rochette, Ken
> Verosub)
> >
> > To the past or future finders of Sutter's Mill stones (and more
> generally to
> > all meteorite hunters):?please do not stick magnets on your finds!
> >
> > This cause irremediable damage to their scientific value (erasing their
> > magnetic memory). Moreover it is a useless habit ?to recognize
> meteorites. A
> > lot of rare types are hardly attracted by magnet (R, some CV, CM, most
> > angrite, martian, lunar, HED?).?The only interest we see for using a
> magnet
> > is when you search a known ordinary chondrite strewn field. or iron
> > meteorite.?A number of terrestrial rock (including the basalt gravels
> that
> > may look like Sutter's Mill) are well attracted by strong magnet.
> >
> > Unfortunately we are seeing some pieces have been wiped with a
> magnet.?For
> > those of you who can be sure that their SM piece has not been seeing a
> > magnet, please consider helping science by a loan of a small fragment.
> It
> > will be non-destructive analyses at UC Davis and it will be quick. It
> takes
> > a few minutes to an hour.
> >
> > We can quickly and easily look at the magnetization of any samples
> smaller
> > than 5-10 cc to determine which ones might not have been remagnetized
> by
> > collectors. ?Then we can try to do paleointensity studies on those
> (meaning
> > how strong the magnetic field was 4.5 billion years ago in the nascent
> solar
> > system). ?We can also characterize the magnetic properties of any
> sample,
> > including ones that have been remagnetized. ?Most of these measurements
> can
> > be done quickly and easily without any chemical or physical destruction
> of
> > the material. We could do a quick screening and decide which magnetic
> > measurements made sense for each sample. ?They could then decide which
> ones
> > to leave with us for more analysis and which ones they wanted to take
> back
> > immediately.
> >
> > In addition, there are a number of non-destructive analyses which could
> be
> > done: including X-ray computed tomography (to see through what is inside
> as
> > done for human bodies). We (Denton Ebel and Qing-Zhu Yin) have already
> done
> > work on two specimens (SM3 and SM9) and submitted a conference report on
> May
> > 29th. A few more are currently planned. We will need to do more of
> these
> > analyses. CT scan images and movies shall be shared with the owner of
> the
> > samples. Those of you who want to see examples of those CT movies,
> could
> > come to my office and labs at UC Davis.
> >
> > We also urgently need to do more of gamma ray counting of more
> specimens.
> > This will help us to determine the pre-atmospheric entry meteoroid size
> > before break up, among other information we could learn. These will
> require
> > samples to travel overseas in deep underground facilities (either in
> North
> > Japan or Italian Alps). The equivalent facilities in US was shut down
> many
> > years ago due to funding situation unfortunately. The test time is
> typically
> > 1 month. The specimens will be shipped back and forth with FedEx or any
> > other insured carrier.
> >
> > If people are interested in having these test done (no harm is done to
> the
> > specimens) but help science in big way, please have them contact me. See
> my
> > contact information below.
> >
> > All the information we have so far indicate the organic content of SM
> > meteorite is very very low. The implication is that this would require
> LARGE
> > amount of material made available to scientists so that we can extract
> those
> > minute quantities of amino acids and other organics and presolar
> stardust
> > grains for mass spectrometric analyses (these are the two primary
> potentials
> > that the SM meteorites could offer. We need public to come forward,
> your
> > support is deeply appreciated, to realize its full potential.
> >
> > Respectively,
> >
> > Qing-zhu Yin
> >
> >
> > ________________________________________________
> > Qing-Zhu Yin, PhD
> > Chancellor's Fellow 2011-2016
> > Associate Professor
> > Department of Geology
> > Earth and Physical Sciences (EPS) Building
> > University of California, Davis
> > One Shields Avenue
> > Davis, CA 95616
> >
> > Tel:? 1-530-752-0934 (Office: EPS 3129)
> > 1-530-220-4076 (Cell Phone)
> > ?? ?? 1-530-752-0637 (Yin Lab-ICP^2-EPS 3230)
> > Fax: 1-530-752-0951 (Department)
> > E-mail: qyin at ucdavis.edu
> > http://www.geology.ucdavis.edu/faculty/yin.html
> > ________________________________________________
> > Please check out our new book published by Cambridge University Press
> on
> > April 12th, 2012
> > www.cambridge.org/9781107600768 (paperback edition)
> > www.cambridge.org/9780521760256 (hardback edition)
> >
> >
> >
>

Qing-zhu Yin, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Geology
University of California, Davis
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616

Tel: 1-530-752-0934 (Office)
Fax: 1-530-752-0951 (Department)
E-mail: qyin at ucdavis.edu

Note: Please update your address book to use <qyin at ucdavis.edu>.
The <yin at geology.ucdavis.edu> address will be decommissioned as
of July 1, 2009 due to California budget crisis

http:/www.geology.ucdavis.edu/faculty/yin.html
Received on Mon 04 Jun 2012 08:11:42 PM PDT