[meteorite-list] NWA 5363 UNGROUPED OR BRACHNITE

[MEM]

----- Original Message ----

 The people about to make a lot of  money..or not..don't paint a pretty picture 
here...
 Is this what the list is  about?


Nope.   Nor is it what the thread is about.
Money could be an artifact of the outcome but the issue of scientific pairing is 
two fold:
Paring legitimizes interchangeable research using a sample from either stone.
Pairing does not skew the data plots for composition/chemistry/etc by counting a 
sample more than once.
( I know this will shock some here to learn that meteorites are not just 
fashionable collectibles but are in-fact used in scientific research--Who'd a 
thought, eah?)
 
The converse is that uninformed and unscientific "visual pairing" does not 
satisfy the requirements of the above needs.

On the commercial issue, it is a long and costly process to do meteorite 
petrology-- most always paid for by one of the owners.  To be paired the 
chemistry/petrology of all named meteorites must be researched to establish 
compelling evidence of pairing.  Exceptions: a meteorite fall on a area known to 
contain no other meteorites, the stream of visually identical debris which is 
recovered in a short time, or the stones can be physically matched--these can be 
presumed to be paired unless tere is evidence to the contrary.

Claims of pairing which are not scientifically validated is akin to plagerizing 
and is taking both scientific and commercial value from another who did go 
through the process.  


In "reverse pairing" or "unpairing" there is one atrocity that I still am 
disgusted over: a meteorite find was recovered over an area.  It was entirely 
reassembled to compose a complete meteorite:  known as the "meteorite puzzle".  
This is the only known case in history. Were it kept together, a lot of research 
could have been done-- cosmic ray penetration, shear stress, understanding why a 
particular meteorite fragmented into 17 pieces, and etc.  But some self-styled 
meteorte dealer wannabe--(wait maybe this was while he was a non dealer?  Nope!  
This was while a dealer)--whatever--  he so "loves" meteorites being "shared" 
that he bought the Puzzle for his collection-- never to ever sell it he assured 
the seller.  Then he promptly put all 17 pieces on ebay as individual auctions 
to be sold to 17 different buyers--DESTROYING the scientific rarity.


Elton