[meteorite-list] Lawrencite

[mexicodoug at aim.com]

Hi Bernd and Pauline :), and meteoriteoids,

All fine here Bernd and thanks for the very friendly note.  Thanks, 
too, for the kind clarification on "Lawrencite".

It was worth it to me as you prompted me to look up the very 
interesting bio of Dr. John Lawrence Smith (and note his German 
connection, as well)!

Always one to look for a conspiracy, what I'm curious about is how he 
got a reputed compound in meteoritics named after his middle name?  
Something doesn't feel too right.  I wonder if there is a story there, 
as it seems too exceptional.  I see he preferred to be called by his 
middle name Lawrence, perhaps, all the variants of the surname's 
Smithite were already taken?

It is interesting to note that he was very vocal about his belief that 
the origin of meteorites was  ... the Moon. But, this is 100 to 150 
years ago ... it wasn't a slap in his face ... this Lawrencite, was it, 
from a satirical cohort?

Dr. Smith seems like a brilliant academic and true field guy who hunted 
meteorites from Sultanates of the middle East in the 1800's to his area 
of specialty in Kentucky and the Southeastern United States.  I think 
most noteworthy above all was his intellectually complementary 
relationship he shared with his trusted and loved field companion who 
accompanied him on his adventures everywhere : his wife Sarah.

In honor of her husband, upon his death, Sarah established and endowed 
the J. Lawrence Smith Medal for investigations of meteoric bodies.  She 
did it in a nice way: sold his collection of 250 falls to Harvard for 
$8,000, then turned around and donated the money to an endowment 
funding a prize in his name: The J. Lawrence Smith Medal has been a 
cash prize of $25,000 since last given in 2003 and 2006, and it is not 
administered by the 'mere' Meteoritical Society, oh, no, but rather by 
the club of the truly American elite: the National Academy of Science 
(as in NAS, PNAS) !!!  Somehow that as very inspiring as it could be 
envious.

The first recipient of the medal was in 1888: HUBERT ANSON NEWTON 
(1830-1896, as related by Newton's NAS biographer, J. Williard Gibbs 
(Yes - the same brilliant guy who nailed town thermodynamics for 
chemists).  I believe Newton was the one who named meteoroids, well, 
"meteoroids".  That particular 1888 J.L. Smith prize went to Newton for 
doing a thorough analysis of 210 distinct recovered meteorites and 
determining constraints of their orbits, nearly 100 years before "Lost 
City".  He made interesting comments suggesting that meteorites in 
collections were not entering Earth's atmosphere in retrograde 
(against) orbits with Earth, but rather with (prograde) Earth, and that 
material entering in retrograde matter could not survive due to 
material constraints, as a meteorite. (really this is a must read and 
has a lot of meat behind it)

Newton also set up what I believe was the first meteor/fireball network 
of observers for collaboration and determined the triangulated heights 
of Leonids and Perseids, among others.

Upon accepting his Lawrencite Medal, errr- John Lawrence Smith Medal, 
Newton made the profound statement:

"To discover some new truth in nature, even if it concerns the small 
things in the world, gives one of the purest pleasures of human 
experience.  It gives joy to tell others of treasure found."

WOW!  How beautifully said.

I wonder how Dr. J. Lawrence Smith would have reacted to the second to 
last J. Lawrence Smith Medal in 2003 given for the origins of 
meteorites, etc. , given his strong Lunar origin belief.  Naw, I'm sure 
he would have been a step ahead of the best ...

PS Bernd - Cheers to Sarah, Pauline, Gloria and the rest of the gang!

Best wishes,
Doug
Off to Pursue Perseids ...




-----Original Message-----
From: bernd.pauli at paulinet.de
To: Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
Sent: Mon, 11 Aug 2008 4:03 pm
Subject: [meteorite-list] Lawrencite



Hi Doug,

Hope you and Gloria are fine. We are o.k. here, especially me
now that I am a *retired* teacher and so I have all the time
in the world to do things I couldn't do when I was a teacher.
My Pauline and I, we'll start off with this year's Mineral
and Gem Show in Munich, maybe Tuscon next year, and maybe
Ensisheim next year.

No "good luck" re: Perseids so far ... it's been raining for
hours, doesn't look good tonight :-(

Regarding St. Lawrence and "lawrencite" ... no, he's not that
chloride demon. "lawrencite" refers to the American chemist John
Lawrence Smith (1818-1883) who was also a mineralogist and discovered
this reputed FeCl2 in meteorites.

Oh, oh, it has just restarted to rain heavily :-(
Let's hope you have perfect skies in Mexico!

Best from a happy
ex-teacher,

Bernd

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