[meteorite-list] Quick Question about Sahara xxxxx finds

[Greg Catterton]

Many will provide false information or not any at all to keep the location secret. There is a discussion elsewhere currently about a finder lying about the location to secure the material available. 

Algeria has laws preventing the export of meteorites, yet there are new ones coming out everyday. Even recent Lunars from there are accepted and sold. All one has to do is simply say NWA.

Berduc was the same way, many were transported outside the country and claimed to have been found elsewhere. 

I have seen many others questioned about locations and even know of one person who has outright lied about where a stone was recovered to keep from paying the land owner the share agreed on and created a laughable story of the find that has been published with so many flaws, it looks like a scam ad on ebay. I bet some of you have a piece of it in your collection and dont even know the whole story behind it!

I think it happens more then we would really want to know.

Greg Catterton
www.wanderingstarmeteorites.com
IMCA member 4682
On Ebay: http://stores.shop.ebay.com/wanderingstarmeteorites
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WanderingStarMeteorites


--- On Sat, 12/18/10, Michael Gilmer <meteoritemike at gmail.com> wrote:

> From: Michael Gilmer <meteoritemike at gmail.com>
> Subject: [meteorite-list] Quick Question about Sahara xxxxx finds
> To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> Date: Saturday, December 18, 2010, 1:51 PM
> Hi Listees,
> 
> I have a quick question for the group and maybe someone
> here can shed
> some light on this subject....
> 
> Meteorites that do not have find coordinates or have
> falsified find
> coordinates are typically given the "Nova" designation by
> NonCom or if
> they are from Northwest Africa, they are given the "NWA"
> designation.
> In a handful of cases, a named meteorite was later changed
> to a "Nova"
> because it was discovered that the find coordinates were
> incorrect or
> dubious.
> 
> So, why after all of these years does the Sahara xxxxx
> finds (mostly
> Labenne finds) are not referred to as "NWA" or
> "Nova"?  It is
> well-known that the find coordinates on the many of these
> Labenne
> Sahara finds are falsified, which has hurt science and the
> provenance
> of the specimens.  To this day, over a decade later,
> the true find
> coordinates of these specimens have not been revealed and
> probably
> will never be revealed.
> 
> Can someone explain the double-standard at work here? 
> Is it because
> of the pioneering work and otherwise-respectable work that
> the
> Labennes have done - despite the falsification of the find
> locations?
> Why do these Sahara finds get special treatment, while
> other finds
> with dubious locations are lumped under "NWA" or "Nova" ?
> 
> I realize the NWA designation did not exist when the Sahara
> finds were
> accepted by NonCom, but shouldn't they now receive the
> Nova
> designation?  In fact, the NWA designation was
> created, in part, due
> to the confusion created by the Sahara finds.  So why
> do they still
> get a special place in nomenclature after all of this
> time?
> 
> Best regards,
> 
> MikeG
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Mike Gilmer - Galactic Stone & Ironworks Meteorites
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