[meteorite-list] Is there a Main Mass list?

[Jeff Grossman]

None of this is something I want to track in the MB Database.  It would 
be too difficult and time-consuming to track an ever-changing and often 
controversial list.  Moreover, as you say, it isn't a particularly 
useful thing to tabulate.  I'll leave it to collectors to take on this task.

Jeff

On 1/25/2012 5:15 AM, MexicoDoug wrote:
> " A main mass list? Heck, there isn't even a "main mass" definition 
> everybody agrees on! Here's mine:"
>
> Hi Jeff, all,
>
> A main mass has some scientific value IMO in some circumstances.  But 
> really, it seems to me one of those things that we keep having to fill 
> out on a boilerplate form that serves of little real scientific 
> value.  Better would be to drop the confusing, unfortunately now 
> unscientfic (due to the various definitions as you already reminded 
> us) term "main mass" and just have an entry called,
>
> "biggest known piece" = BKP
>
> which is already used analogously in the case of TKW.
>
> in the database.  It's really what most collectors are interested in 
> anyway and would create probably a bunch more of limited useful 
> information llike the TKW's which frequently are significantly 
> understated.  My take on a 'main mass' wouldn't require it to be more 
> than half, but rather the principal piece of the original meteoroid 
> from which all fragmentation is derived, and the one expected to 
> travel furthest up the dispersion ellipse's axis shedding it all.  I 
> suppose a scenario of a boulder splitting into two equal pieces would 
> screw that up too, but then we could drop some fancier names to 
> describe that 'degenerate' case.
>
> Just sounding off
>
> Kindest wishes
> Doug
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jeff Grossman <jngrossman at gmail.com>
> To: meteorite-list <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
> Sent: Tue, Jan 24, 2012 11:33 am
> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Is there a Main Mass list?
>
>
>  A main mass list? Heck, there isn't even a "main mass" definition
> everybody agrees on! Here's mine:
>
> "An individual stone/iron or piece of an individual stone/iron that
> comprises the majority (> 50%) of the known mass of a named meteorite."
>
> Jeff
>
> On 1/24/2012 10:08 AM, Bob Loeffler wrote:
>> Hi list,
>>
>> After looking at Jim Strope’s photos of the New Concord main mass 
> (Rocks
>> from Space Picture of the Day a couple days ago) that he got in a 
> trade with
>> ASU (my alma mater; Go Sun Devils!), I thought of a question:
>>
>> Who has the most main masses in their collection?  Of course, I 
> thought of
>> people like Bob Haag, Mike Farmer, etc and museums like the 
> Smithsonian,
>> ASU, etc.
>>
>> Has anyone ever put together such a list?  Because of trading, the 
> list
>> might be hard to keep updated, but maybe not since main masses are 
> coveted
>> and might not be passed around too much.  For new falls, the main 
> mass will
>> change as newer/bigger pieces are found, but I would think "someone 
> in the
>> know" could put together the list, or at least start it.
>>
>> If nobody has such a list, maybe the Meteoritical Bulletin Database 
> could
>> have a few more fields added for easy searching.  Fields such as Main 
> Mass
>> Weight, Main Mass Owner and Main Mass Image (for the best photo of 
> the main
>> mass), and then the Owner field could be easily changed if the 
> Meteoritical
>> Society finds out that the main mass was sold/traded to someone else.
>> Anyway, just a thought.
>>
>> In case you are wondering, I have no main masses in my collection. 
> :-(
>>
>> Regards,
>> Bob L.
>>
>>
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