[meteorite-list] New Bensour fall
From: Michael Farmer <farmerm_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:02:31 2004 Message-ID: <018801c1cfcd$1fa2e8e0$7dd00140_at_computer> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_00F0_01C1CF9A.32D026E0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hello everyone, I have just arrived home from a very hard 5 days of = traveling to Africa and back. I am leaving tomorrow (Wednesday) for = Tahiti for a vacation with my wife for 10 days, so I will certainly not = have time to really answer any emails until I get home from that trip. = This will be almost around the entire planet in 3 days!=20 Anyway, I just want to write a quick note about the new fall. It is = spectacular! Bessey was of course wrong in every aspect, it never did = rain there, the pieces I got are ALL PRISTINE, NEVER touched by a drop = of water or you would certainly see it. He said he and Bruno "cleaned = them out" Yeah, whatever, I have 18.5 kilos of pieces, including the = main mass of 9.5 kilos! Many small individuals, from 1/10 GRAM to ~150 = grams. It is finished now though! I had almost 60 people hunting in = preparation for my arrival.=20 The total weight seems to be in the 25 kilo range unless some people are = not reporting accurately what they have.=20 As for the fall, I interviewed several eyewitnesses (with a = translator of course) and here is the story as told by Amhirich Omar, a = Berber who was camping in the area.=20 "Omar was out tending his camels when at about 4 in the afternoon on = Sunday February 10, 2002, he saw a light in the sky to the west. It = rapidly grew very bright but was not moving (it was coming at him strait = on). Then quickly the object exploded into many pieces, and passed = overhead leaving a trail of dark smoke. A moment later the explosions = like thunder were very loud. He thought that it was a military jet that = had been shot down. He saw the pieces fall to the ground about 3 = kilometers from where he was. He told his children to guard the animals = and he took his brother to go find the crashed airplane. (The area is on = the disputed Morocco/Algeria border, and military is common there. No = one is allowed there but military and Berbers who have rights to pass = about anywhere.) When the arrived at the area where he saw the pieces fall, he found = burned black stones everywhere, and many broken pieces. They landed in a = rocky area so many shattered when they hit the ground.=20 He took some and went back to the camp. Many of the people there knew = that they were meteorites, as it is a common business in that area, so = the next day many people went to collect the stones. The meteorite = pieces were in a line of about 5 or 6 kilometers, the small stones were = all in one large area, and the larger pieces spread out far between each = one. They crossed the border into Algeria, so the smaller pieces were in = Morocco, and the larger ones in Algeria!=20 At first a few pieces went to Rissani to be sold, but then there was = little interest so the rest were kept by the Berbers.=20 The fall was seen by many people in different towns, it passed north of = Rissani from the Northwest to the Southeast.=20 The date was listed previously as 11 or 12 Feb, but it is confirmed to = be afternoon on Feb 10 as this is Sunday and that is market day in = Rissani, so many Berbers had gone to the market there that day.=20 I would like to note that apparently Dean Bessy and Bruno learned of my = arrival and started offering large sums to buy the stones (even though = Dean keeps saying that he had already cleaned it out) so that drove the = price up on me there. Either way, I was the first one to come there and = meet with them directly so I learned the important information. It was a = very successful trip and I am very pleased with the material . Alot of the stones are very small, like Pultusk and Holbrook, so we will = have some nice stuff to offer when I get home from Tahiti.=20 Anyway Dean, you can get off your "farmer got the old wet ruined stone = bit when you see what I have, Ill post photos tomorrow." Thanks and good night, I need some sleep! Mike Farmer Meteorite Hunter ------=_NextPart_000_00F0_01C1CF9A.32D026E0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 5.50.4134.600" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Hello everyone, I have just arrived = home from a=20 very hard 5 days of traveling to Africa and back. I am leaving tomorrow=20 (Wednesday) for Tahiti for a vacation with my wife for 10 days, so I = will=20 certainly not have time to really answer any emails until I get home = from that=20 trip. This will be almost around the entire planet in 3 days! = </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Anyway, I just want to write a quick = note about the=20 new fall. It is spectacular! Bessey was of course wrong in every aspect, = it=20 never did rain there, the pieces I got are ALL PRISTINE, NEVER touched = by a drop=20 of water or you would certainly see it. He said he and Bruno "cleaned = them out"=20 Yeah, whatever, I have 18.5 kilos of pieces, including the main mass of = 9.5=20 kilos! Many small individuals, from 1/10 GRAM to ~150 grams. It is = finished now=20 though! I had almost 60 people hunting in preparation for my arrival.=20 </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The total weight seems to be in the 25 = kilo range=20 unless some people are not reporting accurately what they have. = </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> = As for the=20 fall, I interviewed several eyewitnesses (with a translator of course) = and here=20 is the story as told by Amhirich Omar, a Berber who was camping in the = area.=20 </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>"Omar was out tending his camels when = at about 4 in=20 the afternoon on Sunday February 10, 2002, he saw a light in the sky to = the=20 west. It rapidly grew very bright but was not moving (it was coming at = him=20 strait on). Then quickly the object exploded into many pieces, and = passed=20 overhead leaving a trail of dark smoke. A moment later the explosions = like=20 thunder were very loud. He thought that it was a military jet that had = been shot=20 down. He saw the pieces fall to the ground about 3 kilometers from where = he was.=20 He told his children to guard the animals and he took his brother to go = find the=20 crashed airplane. (The area is on the disputed Morocco/Algeria border, = and=20 military is common there. No one is allowed there but military and = Berbers who=20 have rights to pass about anywhere.)</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>When the arrived at the area where he = saw the=20 pieces fall, he found burned black stones everywhere, and many broken = pieces.=20 They landed in a rocky area so many shattered when they hit the ground.=20 </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>He took some and went back to the camp. = Many of the=20 people there knew that they were meteorites, as it is a common business = in that=20 area, so the next day many people went to collect the stones. The=20 meteorite pieces were in a line of about 5 or 6 kilometers, the small = stones=20 were all in one large area, and the larger pieces spread out far between = each=20 one. They crossed the border into Algeria, so the smaller pieces were in = Morocco, and the larger ones in Algeria! </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>At first a few pieces went to = Rissani to be=20 sold, but then there was little interest so the rest were kept by the = Berbers.=20 </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The fall was seen by many people in = different=20 towns, it passed north of Rissani from the Northwest to the Southeast.=20 </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The date was listed previously as 11 or = 12 Feb, but=20 it is confirmed to be afternoon on Feb 10 as this is Sunday and that is = market=20 day in Rissani, so many Berbers had gone to the market there that day.=20 </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I would like to note that apparently = Dean Bessy and=20 Bruno learned of my arrival and started offering large sums to buy the = stones=20 (even though Dean keeps saying that he had already cleaned it out) so = that drove=20 the price up on me there. Either way, I was the first one to come there = and meet=20 with them directly so I learned the important information. It was a very = successful trip and I am very pleased with the material .</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Alot of the stones are very small, like = Pultusk and=20 Holbrook, so we will have some nice stuff to offer when I get home from = Tahiti.=20 </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Anyway Dean, you can get off your = "farmer got the=20 old wet ruined stone bit when you see what I have, Ill post photos=20 tomorrow."</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Thanks and good night, I need some=20 sleep!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Mike Farmer</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Meteorite = Hunter</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_00F0_01C1CF9A.32D026E0-- Received on Wed 20 Mar 2002 12:02:52 AM PST |
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