[meteorite-list] Zag classification, / - differences, pop quiz

Jeff Grossman jgrossman at usgs.gov
Fri Nov 12 21:07:50 EST 2004


At 06:21 PM 11/12/2004, Mikestockj at aol.com wrote:
>You mentioned that some times a person cannot tell if it is one
>classification or another so end up using the slash. I can understand how 
>this is possible
>over a range of two grades. But do you believe that this is
>possible/acceptable over 3 or more grades such as H4/6?

If the NomCom accepted such a classification it was either a typo or an 
oversight.  If you can't tell type 4 from a type 6 you shouldn't be 
classifying meteorites.  I guess the exception might be for a meteorite 
that was so horribly weathered that you could no longer see the textures or 
minerals clearly.

You should also recognize that certain workers virtually never use slashes 
and others use them frequently.  I think it is best to make a decision if 
at all possible and go with it, so I would fall in the first category.

jeff




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