[meteorite-list] Mercury Fragments on earth (not)

From: Richard Montgomery <rickmont_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 4 Aug 2011 20:18:56 -0700
Message-ID: <1F23C2549991484CAD43B6E1046767DD_at_bosoheadPC>

Interesting to note: I've just re-re-read Robert T. Dodd's METEORITES, A
Petrologic-Chemical-Synthesis published 1981...and as early as the
Introduction (page 9) the concept of lunar meteorites was at that time
completely ruled out:

"Although returned samples confirmed that the lunar maria consist of
basaltic rocks, lunar basalts differ sufficiently from analogous achondrites
in composition and age to rule out a common sourse (Section 8.1), and other
lunar rocks are completely different from known meteorites. Some meteoritic
material is present in the lunar regolith, but the converse is not true:
There seems to be no lunar component in terrestrial meteorite collections."

WOW! As recently as only 30 years ago, with advanced analysis, meteoritic
specimens were un-notoiced.

List: I found this early edition (awesome book) by asking everyone to
recommend a source for meteoritic chemistry/petrology and it has been a gem
to read, but as well to witness the changes since.

Of course, I will look for further editions. Time-Machine!!!

I'd love further refernce sources, so please chime in.

-Richard Montgomery
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sterling K. Webb" <sterling_k_webb at sbcglobal.net>
To: "Michael Fowler" <mqfowler at mac.com>;
<Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Cc: "Michael Fowler" <mqfowler at mac.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 04, 2011 6:22 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Mercury Fragments on earth (not)


> There was a time when you could say: "The fact that
> Lunar meteorites have not been found on Earth is
> prima facie evidence that there are none."
>
> There was a time when you could say: "The fact that
> Martian meteorites have not been found on Earth is
> prima facie evidence that there are none."
>
> Humans have stared at both and had no idea of what
> they were looking at. Martians were frequent enough
> to get and maintain a class all their own for centuries
> before we knew, and Lunars we probably just tossed
> over our shoulders without a thought.
>
> I say:
>
> This is a time when you (or I) can say: "The fact that
> Mercurian meteorites have not been found on Earth is
> prima facie evidence that we can't recognize them!
> We don't know what they are. We are probably quite
> wrong about what to expect."
>
>
> Sterlng K. Webb
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Michael Fowler" <mqfowler at mac.com>
> To: <Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
> Cc: "Michael Fowler" <mqfowler at mac.com>
> Sent: Thursday, August 04, 2011 7:45 PM
> Subject: [meteorite-list] Mercury Fragments on earth (not)
>
>
>>
>>
>> http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/0801/0801.4038.pdf
>>
>>> They concluded that there should be a number of meteorites of
>>> Mercurian origin already here -- around 1/3 to 1/2 the number which
>>> originated from Mars.
>>
>> The fact that Mercurian meteorites have not been found at 1/2 to 1/3 the
>> number of Martian meteorites is prima facie evidence that their
>> calculations are wrong.
>>
>> Mike Fowler
>> Chicago
>>
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Received on Thu 04 Aug 2011 11:18:56 PM PDT