FW: [meteorite-list] Re: Berthoud fall

From: Marc D. Fries <m.fries_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue Oct 12 09:46:50 2004
Message-ID: <1910.10.17.14.1.1097588793.squirrel_at_webmail.ciw.edu>

Howdy Charly

   I suspect that everyone on this list would do just that - handle a new
find as carefully as possible. I also suspect that the family who
found the thing ran up to it, grabbed it, passed it around, let the
neighbor's dog sniff it, and generally handled the crap out of it. The
finds in Antarctica are a special case in that no one has manhandled
them (and they didn't fall in dirt!) and the field parties actually
have an opportunity to retrieve them still "clean". That said, there
is a considerable body of evidence showing that they are contaminated
by terrestrial microbes, halides (think sea spray), occasional liquid
water, other crap, and even wind-blown diatoms. As far as I'm
concerned, if it lands on Earth then it will carry some degree of
contamination.
   ...but it's still better to use gloves. :)

Cheers,
MDF


> I know it was not a sterile environment, barely anything on earth is, but
> I
> would think that as soon as academia showed up, they would have never
> wanted
> it touched again. The less contamination the better if it going to be
> examined by NASA and by University. Even Tagish lake, which fell on
> frozen
> lake water was 'contaminated', but since it was collected so carefully (by
> Jim Brook ), without skin contact, and the pieces kept frozen, it was much
> more valuable to science because of that. Also, scientists that collect in
> Antarctica essentially do the same thing. Just an observation. I know
> that
> if I had ever witnessed a fall and came up upon a suspected piece, I would
> photo it in situ, GPS if possible, and then collect it with gloves.
>
> CharlyV
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: meteorite-list-bounces_at_meteoritecentral.com
> [mailto:meteorite-list-bounces_at_meteoritecentral.com] On Behalf Of stan .
> Sent: Monday, October 11, 2004 11:39 PM
> To: meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com
> Subject: RE: FW: [meteorite-list] Re: Berthoud fall
>
> why would you use gloves?
> it was dug out of a hole in the ground - hardly a sterile environment...
>
>
>
>>From: "Charles Viau" <cviau_at_beld.net>
>>To: <meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
>>Subject: FW: [meteorite-list] Re: Berthoud fall
>>Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 22:55:02 -0400
>>
>>Holding a fresh fall, without gloves, and not an ordinary chondrite, but
>>perhaps a Eucrite or one of the SNC's... Is it just me, or was that a
>>bungled recovery?
>>
>>CharlyV
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: meteorite-list-bounces_at_meteoritecentral.com
>>[mailto:meteorite-list-bounces_at_meteoritecentral.com] On Behalf Of Matt
>>Morgan
>>Sent: Monday, October 11, 2004 7:30 PM
>>To: Mikestockj_at_aol.com; meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com
>>Subject: RE: [meteorite-list] Re: Berthoud fall
>>
>>Try this!!!!!
>><http://www.colorado.edu/fiske/BerthoudMeteoriteinHands.jpg>
>>DROOOOOL
>>matt
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: meteorite-list-bounces_at_meteoritecentral.com
>>[mailto:meteorite-list-bounces_at_meteoritecentral.com] On Behalf Of
>>Mikestockj_at_aol.com
>>Sent: Monday, October 11, 2004 5:28 PM
>>To: mmorgan_at_mhmeteorites.com; meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com
>>Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Re: Berthoud fall
>>
>>
>>
>>Hi all
>>Here is a photo from 9 news. Not real great but still worth a look.
>>
>><http://www.9news.com/acm_news.aspx?OSGNAME=KUSA&IKOBJECTID=896d3d3c-0ab
>>e-421a
>>-013d-a90af9fa6099&TEMPLATEID=0c76dce6-ac1f-02d8-0047-c589c01ca7bf>
>>
>>Enjoy
>>Mike
>>
>>
>>Mike Jensen IMCA 4264
>>Bill Jensen IMCA 2359
>>Jensen Meteorites
>>16730 E Ada PL
>>Aurora, CO 80017-3137
>>303-337-4361
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-- 
Marc Fries
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Carnegie Institution of Washington
Geophysical Laboratory
5251 Broad Branch Rd. NW
Washington, DC 20015
PH:  202 478 7970
FAX: 202 478 8901

Received on Tue 12 Oct 2004 09:46:33 AM PDT