[meteorite-list] Exploring the Solar System in Antarctica (NWA vs Antarctica)
From: Galactic Stone & Ironworks <meteoritemike_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2013 17:45:04 -0400 Message-ID: <CAKBPJW8j3U_nct5x5ysPvb22YB6p3P-x94YCJvFeUzT3xmjuvQ_at_mail.gmail.com> Hi Adam, Mendy, Carl, List, Mendy raised a good point about filtering by live human beings. In Antarctica, the classification queue is determined largely by mindless geological processes that gather the meteorites and deposit them in large numbers into locations where they are relatively-easy to find. In the NWA dense collection area, the specimens are distributed and found randomly in piecemeal fashion by humans. Those meteorites then pass down the chain of custody from finder to middleman/wholesaler to dealer to final buyer. At any point along that chain, a human may spot something interesting that is then put aside for individual attention. The majority of unremarkable, less-valuable, less-interesting material ends up bypassing the classification process and will remain unclassified (obvious H5 W4 material, etc). I don't feel particularly offended when such bottom-feeder common material ends up being used for jewelry and trinkets - at least somebody is enhancing it's value/interest in some way - if that material hasn't clogged up the classification system before it gets to the end buyer. The end result is that keen, experienced eyes will bring the best material to the classification queue. Because of NWA, Vestans are no longer rare. Remember when a howardite was a big deal? Now they scarcely fetch more than a handful of dollars per gram and collectors can choose from many dozens of them. I think every institution that needs howardite for study, must surely have plenty of it by now. The big difference is for collectors. Most collectors will never hold (much less own) the majority of meteorites from Antarctica - they are unobtainable, save for a few exceptions. Collectors get to look at pictures and read the papers about ANSMET meteorites, but we will never own any of them, nor see them in-hand. NWA is an entirely different story. Best regards, MikeG -- ------------------------------------------------------------- Web - http://www.galactic-stone.com Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/galacticstone Twitter - http://twitter.com/galacticstone Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/galacticstone ------------------------------------------------------------- On 10/9/13, Adam Hupe <raremeteorites at yahoo.com> wrote: > Interesting, Statistics are wonderful when using two different weather > grading systems with a limited sampling. I will state that some fantastic > meteorites have come out of Antarctica and have certainly been managed > better for the most part than their NWA counterparts. On the other hand, by > rarity, weight and numbers, NWA is by far in the lead. > > In the long run, I have always been of the opinion that it doesn't matter > where a meteorite lands just so long as ponderable pieces are recovered. > > > The yield of meteorites with great scientific importance has trended greatly > towards NWA the last decade. > > > Adam > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Carl Agee <agee at unm.edu> > To: Adam Hupe <raremeteorites at yahoo.com> > Cc: Adam <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com> > Sent: Wednesday, October 9, 2013 2:13 PM > Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Exploring the Solar System in Antarctica (NWA > vs Antarctica) > > Weathering rates for New Mexico, Sahara, and Antarctica: > http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1993Metic..28Q.460W > ************************************* > Carl B. Agee > Director and Curator, Institute of Meteoritics > Professor, Earth and Planetary Sciences > MSC03 2050 > University of New Mexico > Albuquerque NM 87131-1126 > > Tel: (505) 750-7172 > Fax: (505) 277-3577 > Email: agee at unm.edu > http://meteorite.unm.edu/people/carl_agee/ > > > > > On Wed, Oct 9, 2013 at 2:48 PM, Adam Hupe <raremeteorites at yahoo.com> wrote: >> It is myth that Antarctic meteorites are less weathered. They weather >> differently is all. I have been in the Antarctic Laboratory and can tell >> that most of the inventory is not free of rusticles and evaporation >> deposits. After all, Antarctica gets its weather right of the salt water >> ocean. It seems only the best looking material is ever put on public >> display. >> >> Adam >> >> >> >> >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: Carl Agee <agee at unm.edu> >> To: Galactic Stone & Ironworks <meteoritemike at gmail.com> >> Cc: Adam Hupe <raremeteorites at yahoo.com>; Adam >> <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com> >> Sent: Wednesday, October 9, 2013 1:21 PM >> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Exploring the Solar System in Antarctica >> (NWA vs Antarctica) >> >> Hi Mike, >> >> Add to that list NWA 7731 (L3.00). Semarkona (LL3.00) may still be >> King, but 7731 is certainly a Prince! >> >> The only thing that Antarctic finds have going for them is that >> weathering is much slower there than in North Africa, so fresher >> material in general. But if I look at the ANSMET annual yield of >> exceptional meteorites it is paltry compared to NWA. For planetaries >> over the past ten years or so, NWA is definitely King! >> >> Carl >> >> >> ************************************* >> Carl B. Agee >> Director and Curator, Institute of Meteoritics >> Professor, Earth and Planetary Sciences >> MSC03 2050 >> University of New Mexico >> Albuquerque NM 87131-1126 >> >> Tel: (505) 750-7172 >> Fax: (505) 277-3577 >> Email: agee at unm.edu >> http://meteorite.unm.edu/people/carl_agee/ >> >> >> >> On Wed, Oct 9, 2013 at 1:45 PM, Galactic Stone & Ironworks >> <meteoritemike at gmail.com> wrote: >>> Hi Adam and List, >>> >>> Not taking into account old Saharan meteorites (like Nakhla and >>> Tatahouine), here is a list of some recent meteorites from the Sahara >>> that hold significant scientific and/or collector interest : >>> >>> "Black Beauty" (NWA 7034) >>> >>> Tissint >>> >>> Jbilet Winselwan >>> >>> NWA 5000 >>> >>> NWA 998 >>> >>> Almahata Sitta >>> >>> NWA 4301 >>> >>> Zag >>> >>> Gebel Kamil >>> >>> Too many Vestans to list. >>> >>> I threw together this list on the fly and in an arbitrary fashion. >>> The true number of Saharan meteorites valuable to science is subject >>> to interpretation, but it surely numbers in the many hundreds. >>> Granted, many NWA's are weathered and redundant, highly-equilibrated, >>> ordinary chondrites. But, many Antarctics are sub-gram fragments of >>> paired finds. So I think the signal-to-noise ratio of NWA's versus >>> Antarctics is about even. >>> >>> Best regards and happy huntings, >>> >>> MikeG >>> >>> -- >>> ------------------------------------------------------------- >>> Web - http://www.galactic-stone.com >>> Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/galacticstone >>> Twitter - http://twitter.com/galacticstone >>> Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/galacticstone >>> ------------------------------------------------------------- >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> On 10/9/13, Adam Hupe <raremeteorites at yahoo.com> wrote: >>>> >>>> >>>> It should be changed to "A few of the best meteorites are found in >>>> Antarctica but these days, most are found in the Sahara" >>>> >>>> Adam >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> ----- Original Message ----- >>>> From: Paul H. <inselberg at cox.net> >>>> To: "meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com" >>>> <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com> >>>> Cc: >>>> Sent: Wednesday, October 9, 2013 11:40 AM >>>> Subject: [meteorite-list] Exploring the Solar System in Antarctica >>>> >>>> Exploring the Solar System From the Ends of the Earth >>>> The best meteorites are found in ? Antarctica. >>>> By Meenakshi Wadhwa, Slate Magazine >>>> http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2013/09/the_best_meteorites_are_found_in_antarctica.html >>>> >>>> Yours, >>>> >>>> Paul H. >>>> ______________________________________________ >>>> >>>> Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com >>>> Meteorite-list mailing list >>>> Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com >>>> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list >> >>>> >>>> ______________________________________________ >>>> >>>> Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com >>>> Meteorite-list mailing list >>>> Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com >>>> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list >>>> >>> ______________________________________________ >>> >>> Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com >>> Meteorite-list mailing list >>> Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com >>> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list >> ______________________________________________ >> >> Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com >> Meteorite-list mailing list >> Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com >> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list > ______________________________________________ > > Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com > Meteorite-list mailing list > Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com > http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list >Received on Wed 09 Oct 2013 05:45:04 PM PDT |
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