[meteorite-list] Questions regarding Unclassified meteorite sales

From: Michael Farmer <meteoritehunter_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun Nov 6 10:47:01 2005
Message-ID: <002001c5e2e9$55b52780$0200a8c0_at_S0031628003>

Kevin,
I am sorry, but that is one of the most incorrect statements I have seen in
a long time.
True, it is difficult that the total known weights and find locations are
not known, but it is what it is. These poor people have finally found a way
to make a living from the harsh sands of the Sahara and science has a way to
get more meteorites in bulk to study.
Here is why NWA is good for science.

Thousands of meteorites are being recovered, some of them the rarest types
known.
They are being saved (finally) from being sandblasted to nothing in the
sand.
The poor people there are making money for food.
The finds are advancing science.
Mars and Lunar meteorites have been found there in concentrations unlike
anywhere else on the planet.
While chondrites are being traded often without study, the rare stuff is
ALWAYS being studied, and accordingly, pieces deposited with scientific
laboratory collections.
Where they fell or what country does not change the data in the meteorite,
last time I checked, a Martian that landed in USA or in Morocco does not
change the composition of the meteorite or the data that scientists are
interested in.

I just returned from NWA with MULTIPLE PLANETARY SPECIMENS. They are already
in the lab at UofA and NAU, and since I bought them, they are rescued from
the desert and rotting away and are now in the hands of competent scientists
to further our knowledge of the Moon and Mars.
So I need to sell some to pay for the thousands of $$$ every trips costs,
that is the way of the world, without sales, no trips, without trips, no
meteorites. I have been to Morocco 35 or so times now, I have never seen a
scientist or university over there looking for meteorites.
It is up to me and people like me to provide specimens for science.

Michael Farmer
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kevin Forbes" <vk3ukf_at_hotmail.com>
To: <meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Sunday, November 06, 2005 8:35 AM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Questions regarding Unclassified meteorite
sales


>
>
> G'day list, my feelings on unclassified NWA's.
> This repsents the ultimate rape of science.
> What can be told about an unclassified NWA.
> In short, nothing, apart from, I think it is a meteorite and I think it
> came from somewhere in Nth West Africa.
> You wouldn't know if it was part of a large or small fall, since no
> details on it's find location are noted.
> You wouldn't know if you had a highly altered chondrite or an achondrite.
> The nation where the item was found has also lost part of its own national
> treasure as an undocumented theft.
> Meteorites provide an insight to the wonders of our universe, and all
> information should be documented. These items are generally sliced up and
> sold before they are ever ( and in most cases never studuied ) studied by
> anyone anywhere. Think of all the lost knowledge humanity as a whole is
> suffering because of this. Think of all of the thousands of kilos of
> stones that may unlock some secret of the universe or our solar systems
> formation, that will never ever come to light because they sit on a shelf
> at a collectors home, never to be studied. Shame world, shame.
> Should a NWA be studied and found to be an insight to something, can we go
> and get more of it. NO, we have no idea of where it came from or how much
> of it made land fall.
> For example.,
> What is the Lat. and Lon. the specimen was found at? Unknown.
> What is the country of origin? Unknown.
> Who found it? Unknown.
> When was it found? Unknown.
> What was the total mass of the fall? Unkown.
> What is the area of material distribution? (Fall ellipse). Unknown.
>
> I collect the occasional unclassified NWA with the intention of forwarding
> them to the correct places and people to study, they may take as much of
> the specimen as they deem neccesary.
> It is akin to an archealogical site being robbed of its items with no
> regard to the location, depth, age, pieces that go with this or that, and
> just sold to the first bod that comes along, Here ya are mate, some
> ancient treasure. I currently have several kilos. Not an awful lot. I'd
> buy all of them if I had enough folding stuff, but I'd rather get some
> nice studied material, read about it all and ponder the sample in front of
> me, and learn to identify the various specifics as studied.
>
> The individual nomads that collect these stones in the desert are only
> thinking of themselves.
> How much food they can get with the money, or weapons they might buy. They
> are not interested in science or their countries national treasures or
> heritage.
>
> What can you tell me about an unclassified NWA?
>
> Cheers, Kevin, VK3UKF.
>
>>On Sat, 5 Nov 2005 22:03:31 -0800 (PST), Pat Brown <radio_ranch_at_yahoo.com>
>>wrote:
>>
>> >Will some of you share your thoughts on why
>> >unclassified meteorite sales are discouraged?
>> >
>>
>>I haven't really heard of the sales being "discouraged". All I know of is
>>a very few dealers
>>spreading sour grapes about what the NWA rush has done to their high
>>prices. ("The market is in
>>ruin" and "NWAs support terrorists" being two claims that come to mind).
>>
>> >I have collected meteorites for about 10 years now and
>> >have purchased some unclassified NWA meteorites from
>> >sellers on eBay. The 500 to 1000 gram meteorites are
>> >selling at attractive prices. Is the practice of
>>
>>It looks like uncut unclassifed NWAs in non-reserve auctions are tending
>>to go for less than 5 cents
>>per gram now.
>>______________________________________________
>>Meteorite-list mailing list
>>Meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com
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>
>
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Received on Sun 06 Nov 2005 10:46:59 AM PST


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