[meteorite-list] Invitation to View David Weir's 'MeteoriteStudies.com'

From: Kevin Kichinka <marsrox_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 7 Jan 2013 15:07:20 -0600
Message-ID: <CANDn_7ExUQLfb_b3qk8Un5O3cgAhWBH5bixrj4rC=qw2nD4HDg_at_mail.gmail.com>

Team Meteorite:


If you have never visited this authoritative website dedicated to
meteorites, take a look now and I'm sure that you will bookmark its
URL for further reference. David continuously reads and evaluates the
latest research papers on meteorites, updating his site with the most
relevant data.

Accompanied by meteorite backstories illustrated with images of
specimens, MeteoriteStudies.com is the world's #1 'go to' website for
all involved in the search, study and collection of meteorites.

I asked David how he got started in the hobby and the impetus for his website.

"When I was 5 years old, my brother and I found a strange melted stone
in a shallow depression in our backyard. He said it was probably a
meteorite, and that assumption was verified by his elementary school
teacher. Of course, the material was actually slag from the
fireplace, but that event created an awe in my mind about such things.

I began my meteorite studies website as a notebook of sorts to keep up
with the rapid increase in "modern" research results in the field of
meteoritics, and my interest in the subject has grown exponentially."

Seeing first light in 1997, the website is approaching it's 16th
anniversary of serving collectors worldwide.

I am writing in support for this site today because I am honored to
again have some of my work selected to appear there. David has just
added my latest expo, "The Rise of the Raj and the Fall of Shergotty".

To persuade you to check out his site and then the Shergotty story, I
am pleased to post his review (used by permission) -

"I suddenly finished the conclusion of your novella about the fall of
Shergotty, and wished for more. The results are superior. The story of
Shergotty could only have been expanded into such an enjoyable novella
by you, and your talent is worthy of an award."

No awards necessary, I'm just the messenger.

But I hope to enthusiastically encourage list members to check out
David's site now before you forget, and after being amazed by the
wealth of information and bookmarking it for later reference, take
awhile to read the powerful story of a namesake of Mars meteorites,
with illustrations by Dorothy Norton.

"?I at first doubted whether it was a true aerolite or not, in
consequence of the colour being different from the one that fell in
the Furreedpore District in 1850... but I find from Mr. Peppe, the
Sub-Deputy Opium Agent, that there can be no doubt of its being a true
aerolite, as he has seen two that fell in the District...? (This
account of the fall of Shergotty is found in a deposition submitted in
late 1865 by W.C. Costley, Deputy Magistrate in Bihar, India.)

And perhaps another day, return to learn more about the meteorites in
your collection, and then spend some quality time in post-Napoleonic
France, reading about the October, 1815 fall of Chassigny...

 "... where upon the plateau above Dijon, when like all stillness this
one was also broken, not from an echo of Waterloo, but by a volley
from the God of War."

Then complete the only trilogy of Mars namesake meteorite falls by
becoming acquainted with Nakhla...

"El Nakhla El Baharia. The original name for a piece of Mars fallen
from the heavens, impacting the ancient dust of the Pharaohs, an
object now probed by scholars seeking signs of life lived on that
world. The Holy Grail of meteorites. "

Following your walk through Nakhla's 'science and circumstances',
consider then the detailed, forensic evidence related to the 'tale of
the dog' legendarily left "like ashes in a moment" - our hobby's most
compelling legend. Written in 1998, this description remains the only
comprehensive, scholarly look at this event. Recently, David
thoughtfully reviewed the evidence again and his new commentary
appears, constraining the argument further.

I am grateful to David for growing my audience of readers by adding my
work to his. In our 'pay-per-view' world, Meteoritestudies.com allows
everyone to freely reference and learn about the rocks from space that
enthrall us all.

>From Nine Degrees North....

Kevin Kichinka
Rio del Oro, Santa Ana, Costa Rica
'The Global Meteorite Price Report - 2013'
www.theartofcollectingmeteorites.com
Received on Mon 07 Jan 2013 04:07:20 PM PST