Fw: [meteorite-list] How to do it your self

[Dan Wray]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Dan Wray" <dwray at wideopenwest.com>
To: <zeus_daughter2 at yahoo.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 11, 2004 10:28 AM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] How to do it your self


> Hello Dana,
>
> This is not an easy process.  I don't know what your educational
background
> is.  First you must be knowledgeable about minerals, their chemistry and
> what is call assemblages.  This is about what is found or formed with
what.
> As a geology student I had a course in petrography.  We had to classify
> rocks visually with low power microscopes and hand lenses.  This is
> relatively easy with course grained rocks and bulk minerals.  To identify
> fine grained materials or small inclusions can be difficult. This may
> require a thin section and examination under cross polarization.  Further
> analysis may require a micro probe.  So I guess what I am saying is, that
> some of this can only be done by the pros in a laboratory.  As far as
books
> go,  start with "Rocks from Space" and work your way up to more technical
> volumes.
>
> If we are talking meteorites, you have to learn who you can trust.  This
is
> not a large community.  Dealers that do this full time need your trust and
> work to retain it.  You can start by buying from members of the IMCA
> (International Meteorite Collectors Association).  You will  see this logo
> on Ebay auctions. You can attend shows and meet people there.  Tucson is
the
> biggest followed by Denver.  There are a lot of smaller regional shows.
For
> a dealer in your region I would contact Al Mitterling at
> almitt at kconline.com.  He can tell you about events in that part of the
> country.
>
> Good luck with your collecting,
> Dan Wray
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Dana" <zeus_daughter2 at yahoo.com>
> To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
> Sent: Saturday, December 11, 2004 5:44 AM
> Subject: [meteorite-list] How to do it your self
>
>
> > I am wondering how a person can learn to identify
> > mineral content of rocks?
> >
> > I am always seeing olivine 49.2%, ect. and so forth.
> >
> > Are there any books I could buy or check out at my
> > library that would teach me to do this that you all
> > might recommend personally.
> >
> > I am sure the one rock I have is a meteorite wrong...
> > but the feeling I had when I found it thinking that
> > maybe I finally had found one was really great.  So
> > now I am on a personal quest to find my own someday.
> >
> > I read lots of sites with info. on the net over the
> > past two years.  Many sites claim this slice is rare,
> > this one is that, so forth and so on.  After all my
> > reading I do not really feel any smarter, only more
> > confused about pricing and rarity, what is real and
> > what is not, but I did learn about caring for them
> > once I finally get one and how to spot a meteorite
> > wrong.  LOL
> >
> > Also, are there any groups that go meteorite hunting
> > together?  I would be very interested to do something
> > like that anywhere in the US or Canada.
> >
> > Thank you for your time and input.
> >
> > Dana Hawn
> > on a Prairie
> > Illinois, USA
> >
> >
> >
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