[meteorite-list] 5 reasons to record meteorite coordinates

From: cdtucson at cox.net <*cdtucson_at_meteoritecentral.com*> Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 16:52:33 -0500 Message-ID: <20100309165233.K4LUJ.1050501.imail_at_fed1rmwml28> · cdtucson_at_meteoritecentral.com

--
Carl or Debbie Esparza
Meteoritemax
---- "Matson wrote: 
> Carl asks:
> 
> > I don't yet understand why people put so much importance on find
> > co-ords and strewnfields. It has not only been pointed out by another
> > important list member that "A meteorite does not care where it lands".
> > (Ted Bunch).
> 
> You may be quoting Ted out of context. Yes, a meteorite doesn't care.
> But people do, including many researchers. Recording find coordinates
> serves at least five purposes that I can think of, right off the bat:
QUOTE IS IN CONTEXT AND ACCURATE. THIS SILENCED JASON A FEW WEEKS BACK WHILE ON HIS HIGH HORSE. 
> 
> 1.  In situ photographic provenance. If a meteorite becomes separated
> from
> its identifying documentation, a photograph in the field with a GPS unit
> is an excellent way to reestablish its identity. This can be very
> helpful
> when a meteorite has been sent to a lab for analysis, and its label gets
> lost or the sample confused with another meteorite at that lab.
> 
NOT A SCIENTIFIC NEED BUT IS I AGREE EQUALLY AS USEFUL AS A STICKY LABEL. 
> 2.  For recent falls, it can help tell you something about the dynamics
> of the fall, such as the entry azimuth (being careful to account for
> wind drift), and terminal burst vs. multiple fragmentation.
YES, THIS DID A LOT OF GOOD FINDING MORE LORTON PIECES. SORRY.
> 
> 3.  For finds, it is a necessary (but not by itself sufficient) metric
> for establishing likely pairings.
PAIRINGS ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS THE SCIENCE UTILIZED TO DETERMINE THEM. WE NOW KNOW THAT PAIRINGS DON'T HAVE TO BE OF LIKE TYPES. ALMAHATTA SITTA TELLS US THAT THEY CAN BE TOTALLY DIFFERENT CLASSES AND STILL BE PAIRED SO, ONLY TRUE TESTING CAN DETERMINE THIS.
> 
> 4.  With find coordinates and care with pairing, it becomes possible to
> estimate minimum annual meteorite fall rate based on the number of
> unpaired finds over a carefully surveyed area.
YOU CAN ALSO MAKE THESE GUESSES AT WILL.
> 
> And most valuable to the finders working an area:
> 
> 5.  The distribution of find coordinates may provide evidence of fluvial
> and aeolian transport. This can greatly enhance meteorite recovery rate
> by transforming a two-dimensional search problem into a 1-dimensional
> boundary search.
I'M SURE THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME BUT I CANNOT THINK OF A TIME IT HAS. 
> 
> I'm sure others can add more to this list. The point is, just because
> one person doesn't believe recording find coordinates is important
> doesn't mean it isn't valuable to someone else. So by failing to do
> so, either through ignorance or apathy, a hunter is destroying
> scientific data.
ROB, ALL OF THOSE POINTS ARE OF NOTE BUT FALL INTO THE TRIVIAL DEPARTMENT TO MOST OF US. AGAIN MOSTLY BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING MORE TO BE LEARNED BY THEM. THE WHEEL IS AN OLD THING. AND SCIENCE HAS A LOT MORE IMPORTANT WAYS TO HELP US. MUCH THE WAY YOU DO ALREADY. WE NEED SCIENCE TO MAKE THINGS EASIER FOR US. AND TO THAT POINT BY GIVING UP CO-ORDS YOU GIVE UP YOUR TREASURE MAP. WHO DOES THAT? 
THANKS THOUGH. YOU TOO ARE LOVED. CARL
> 
> --Rob
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