[meteorite-list] Meteorite smugglers anger scientists - stamp collection

[Armando Afonso]

By the way,
What is the interest of  the meteorites to the average "collector"?
They are simply "nice" or "interesting", isn`t it?
Like a collection of stamps?
Most of the real interest of this materials relates to statistics of 
chemical and isotopical composition and other arid informations, of no 
interest to a linguistic student or a plumber, I believe. And nothing of 
that information can be extracted from "cleaned" and oiled specimens.
I have myself a few common meteorites as a complement of a systematic 
mineral collection, to represent the native elements namely, but I don`t see 
the interest of keeping a specimen with features that I can not appreciate 
or put in evidence for some objective purpose.
For that reason, a very rare meteorite would be a waste in my collection.
A serious protocol is needed to collect and store this materials, if the 
specimen value is to be preserved.
Regards.
AA


---- Original Message ----- 
From: "mark ford" <markf at ssl.gb.com>
To: <Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2007 9:17 AM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Meteorite smugglers anger scientists



> Don't forget there are actually LOTS of Antarctic meteorites!  I'd say

> those figures are pretty good considering most (though not all) NWA's

> are usually quite weathered, and off a bit less science value than the

> pristine ones collected on ice... That's probably why the statistics

> show non NWA's are under represented in literature. I doubt it's because

> NWA's are too expensive to work on.

>

>

> Best

> Mark Ford

>

>

>

>

>

> -----Original Message-----

> From: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com

> [mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] On Behalf Of Jeff

> Grossman

> Sent: 17 April 2007 01:42

> To: Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com

> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Meteorite smugglers anger scientists

>

> At 06:29 PM 4/16/2007, ensoramanda wrote:

>>So if science is "losing important material for study" to

>>dealers/hunters/collectors of NWA's, why dont we hear much about all

>>the amazing research that must be coming out of the thousands of

>>meteorites from Antarctica? !!!  Science has exclusive use of these

>>but I never seem to hear much exciting news about them...or am I

>>just not looking in the right place?

>>

>>Graham Ensor, nr Barwell UK

>

> You are looking in the wrong place.  Far more important research

> results have been coming from the Antarctic meteorites than from hot

> desert meteorites.

>

> I did a quick count of meteorites used in studies published in both

> major meteoritics and cosmochemistry journals in 2006.  Each tally

> means one meteorite mentioned in one paper (if the same meteorite is

> mentioned in 6 papers, it counts for 6). Here are the results:

>

> Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta:

>

> Saharan+Oman meteorites: 22

> Antarctic meteorites: 62

> Non-Antarctic/non-saharan meteorites: 109 plus one paper with 50.

>

> In Meteoritics and Planetary Science:

>

> Saharan+Oman meteorites: 10

> Antarctic meteorites: 80 plus one paper with many.

> Non-Antarctic/non-saharan meteorites: 106 plus one paper with many.

>

> The real question is, why are hot desert meteorites so miserably

> UNDER-represented in the literature.  I think there are several

> answers, and there are probably many more:

>

> 1) Falls are often the most valuable samples for research due to lack

> of weathering.

> 2) Research specimens of hot desert meteorites tend to be very small.

> 3) Hot desert meteorite are not well distributed in the research

> collections of the world (especially in the US), and are much harder

> for scientists to obtain.

> 4) All of the major Antarctic collections are well curated and have

> formal procedures in place for obtaining samples.

> 5) Hot desert meteorite collections are useless for the study of irons.

>

> Jeff

>

>

>>Greg Hupe wrote:

>>

>>>Hi Darren, Mike and List,

>>>

>>>I couldn't have said it better myself! It takes a huge investment

>>>to limp away from Morocco with a planetary or other rare meteorite

>>>these days. I would have said "walk away", but after having to give

>>>up your right arm, left leg, first born, etc. to get one of these.

>>>Well, you get the idea!

>>>

>>>Happy collecting!

>>>Greg

>>>

>>>====================

>>>Greg Hupe

>>>The Hupe Collection

>>>NaturesVault (eBay)

>>>gmhupe at tampabay.rr.com

>>>www.LunarRock.com

>>>IMCA 3163

>>>====================

>>>

>>>

>>>----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Farmer"

> <meteoriteguy at yahoo.com>

>>>To: <cynapse at charter.net>; <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>

>>>Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 4:27 PM

>>>Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Meteorite smugglers anger scientists

>>>

>>>

>>>>The Moroccans are smarter now than most collectors.

>>>>You will not get a lunar or Martian meteorite cheap

>>>>there now. 90% of them can recognize one in a second.

>>>>Don't feel too sorry for most of the Moroccans, they

>>>>make much more money than most of us dealers who pay

>>>>nearly retail for the material IN MOROCCO,  and they

>>>>live quite well off of the meteorites. It has greatly

>>>>impacted the financial well-being of most of them

>>>>involved in the meteorite trade. I mean come on, now

>>>>they get tens of thousands of $$$ for a black rock

>>>>they picked up in the sand. How often does that happen

>>>>to someone in Germany or the UK?

>>>>Michael Farmer

>>>>--- Darren Garrison <cynapse at charter.net> wrote:

>>>>

>>>>>On Mon, 16 Apr 2007 15:06:52 -0400, you wrote:

>>>>>

>>>>> >Hello Moni and List,

>>>>> >If the article is referring to unclassified

>>>>>material,which would make sense,

>>>>> >thereby allowing material never to reach the

>>>>>scientific community, the point

>>>>> >is well taken.

>>>>>

>>>>>The problem with that argument is that from the

>>>>>stories that the people who go

>>>>>to Morocco tell, those nomads aren't nearly as

>>>>>clueless as the article writer

>>>>>claims that they are.  They may have been at first,

>>>>>but they learned to notice

>>>>>the difference between a common meteorite and a

>>>>>valuable one.  Which is why

>>>>>people like MF and the Hupes have to make big

>>>>>negotiations to get their lunars,

>>>>>Martians, and other rare achondrites instead of

>>>>>getting them for 10 cents a gram

>>>>>in heaps of OCs.  The rare stuff is going to be

>>>>>recognized by the original

>>>>>dealers and sold at rare stuff prices to rare stuff

>>>>>dealers/collectors.

>>>>>______________________________________________

>>>>>Meteorite-list mailing list

>>>>>Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com

>>>>http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>______________________________________________

>>>>Meteorite-list mailing list

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>>>

>>>

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>>>

>>______________________________________________

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>

> Dr. Jeffrey N. Grossman       phone: (703) 648-6184

> US Geological Survey          fax:   (703) 648-6383

> 954 National Center

> Reston, VA 20192, USA

>

>

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