[meteorite-list] Why isn't Mreira classified as a Fall?

From: Ruben Garcia <rubengarcia85382_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 13:23:03 -0700
Message-ID: <CAJet4mPxTNGhZbmAEdDmG=5_eLEiwsgSErDhW_1uqGDwf45Ltw_at_mail.gmail.com>

Any volunteers to fly to Northwest Africa and get photos and
statements from the anonymous school children that witnessed the
account?



On Tue, Mar 11, 2014 at 1:19 PM, Matt Morgan <mail at mhmeteorites.com> wrote:
> I do have one of my pieces photographed in-situ but that wasn't enough. For NWA "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." That is the way it is.
> Matt
>
>
> On March 11, 2014 2:06:23 PM MDT, Carl Agee <agee at unm.edu> wrote:
>>"....a fireball was seen in the afternoon sky on December 16, 2012,
>>several school children saw the fireball explode and detonations were
>>heard near the village of Mehaires, Western Sahara. Pieces were
>>recovered approximately 40 miles south of Mehaires, near Mre?ra,
>>Mauritania, only a few days after the event."
>>
>>
>>This excerpt above is basically only "the proof" that it was a fall.
>>The lesson here is that NWA documentation needs to be meticulous with
>>identified individual eyewitnesses that corroborate with anything else
>>like cameras etc. (e.g. Chelyabinsk). What didn't measure up in this
>>case, was the anecdotal recovered fresh meteorites 40 miles from an
>>event that only anonymous school children witnessed. Also, no
>>documented strewn field was submitted (in situ photos etc.). I suppose
>>this can be a problem when people want to keep the actual strewn field
>>location a secret to keep out competing hunters?
>>
>>No such thing as too much documentation.
>>
>>
>>Carl Agee
>>*************************************
>>Carl B. Agee
>>Director and Curator, Institute of Meteoritics
>>Professor, Earth and Planetary Sciences
>>MSC03 2050
>>University of New Mexico
>>Albuquerque NM 87131-1126
>>
>>Tel: (505) 750-7172
>>Fax: (505) 277-3577
>>Email: agee at unm.edu
>>http://meteorite.unm.edu/people/carl_agee/
>>
>>
>>
>>On Tue, Mar 11, 2014 at 1:29 PM, Ruben Garcia
>><rubengarcia85382 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> So what held them back from calling this a fall? What more
>>information
>>> did they need to swing the pendulum towards a fall as opposed to a
>>> find?
>>>
>>> Maybe Dr Agee, Dr Garvie or someone else involved in this
>>> classification can shed some light.
>>>
>>> On Tue, Mar 11, 2014 at 11:05 AM, Matt Morgan <mail at mhmeteorites.com>
>>wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Mreira was submitted by me as a fall but the NomCom couldn't reach a
>>consensus. So it was likely witnessed as stated in the description. As
>>you noted Ruben it is as fresh as can be....
>>>> Matt Morgan
>>>>
>>>> On March 11, 2014 11:00:59 AM MDT, Ruben Garcia
>><rubengarcia85382 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>Hi,
>>>>>
>>>>>When I purchased Mreira months ago I was told by the Moroccan
>>dealers
>>>>>that it was a witnessed fall. Ok, lets be real, anyone can say
>>>>>anything in order to make a sale. However, it looks as fresh as any
>>>>>fall I've ever seen/found.
>>>>>
>>>>>Photos here:
>>>>>http://www.mrmeteorite.com/mreirameteorite.htm
>>>>>
>>>>>Read the write up - it seems to agree that it is indeed a fall.
>>>>>
>>>>>History: According to Ait Hiba Abdelhad, a fireball was seen in the
>>>>>afternoon sky on December 16, 2012, several school children saw the
>>>>>fireball explode and detonations were heard near the village of
>>>>>Mehaires, Western Sahara. Pieces were recovered approximately 40
>>miles
>>>>>south of Mehaires, near Mre?ra, Mauritania, only a few days after
>>the
>>>>>event. The strewn field is in the area called "Stailt Omgrain",
>>which
>>>>>is a local nomadic name. This is south of Mehaires and north of the
>>>>>mountain "Galbe lahmar". Therefore this is a possible fall
>>associated
>>>>>with the fireball of December 16, 2012.
>>>>>
>>>>>*******Possible fall? What else do you need? *******
>>>>>
>>>>>Meteoritical Bulletin for Mreira
>>>>>
>>>>>http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php?sea=Mre%C3%AFra&sfor=names&ants=&falls=&valids=&stype=contains&lrec=50&map=ge&browse=&country=All&srt=name&categ=All&mblist=All&rect=&phot=&snew=0&pnt=Normal%20table&code=57653
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Matt Morgan
>>>> Mile High Meteorites
>>>> PO Box 151293
>>>> Lakewood CO 80215 USA
>>>> http://www.mhmeteorites.com
>>>> Find Us on Facebook
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Rock On!
>>>
>>> Ruben Garcia
>>> http://www.MrMeteorite.com
>>> ______________________________________________
>>>
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>
> --
> Matt Morgan
> Mile High Meteorites
> PO Box 151293
> Lakewood CO 80215 USA
> http://www.mhmeteorites.com
> Find Us on Facebook
>

-- 
Rock On!
Ruben Garcia
http://www.MrMeteorite.com

Received on Tue 11 Mar 2014 04:23:03 PM PDT