(meteorobs) Re: Drying out a fresh meteorite/Meteorite hits house in New Zealand

[CHRISTINECissy at aol.com]

Why would they instruct them to dry the meteorite out in an oven? 
These instructions that I found online do not support this method of drying a 
meteorite in an oven to preserve it. 
http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~rhill/alpo/meteoritestuff/aims.html 
Do's and Don'ts of meteorite preservation 
The most important advice one can give about meteorite preservation is that 
least is best! Never(!) attempt to remove fusion crust or soil unless the 
latter rubs off very easily by hand. Fusion crust protects the sample and its 
presence is highly prized by other collectors. It is best to leave any cutting to 
professionals who have special saws, thin diamond sawblades, inert diamond 
polishing compounds, and access to high purity chemicals. It is difficult for the 
average well-meaning person to know how a sample may become contaminated for 
scientific studies or preservation. 
In dry climates, only polyethlyene bags or plastic boxes and desiccant stored 
with the specimens may be needed. However, in moist climates, sealed 
containers and cabinets with desiccant may be required to prevent atmospheric attack 
of a collection. Certainly, moisture and oxygen present the most serious 
threats to any meteorite. One must be careful not to seal in moisture during 
storage. High temperatures to drive off moisture should be avoided as they may also 
alter the chemical properties of a meteorite for age dating. 
*Several iron- nickel meteorites display altered or lost Widmanstatten 
patterns due to reheating by their finders. 
Some collectors resort to coating their iron-nickel specimens with special 
varnishes and lacquers, and even soaking in penetrating oils. Oils may ooze out 
as time passes - or if placed into any analysis instrument that uses a vacuum. 
(Dealers will sometimes use varnishes to protect a specimen that will be on 
display in a humid climate. They will always inform you). As a scientist with 
an eye to future studies and techniques, these are met with mixed enthusiasm. 
Some may preserve a specimen but, render it useless for any scientific studies. 
The alternative is a rusty pile of debris. A person may not intend for a 
specimen to be studied but, 20 or 50 years from now it may be the only known piece 
of an important sample. For instance, the ALH 84001 martian meteorite and its 
claimed nanofossils; much of the scrutiny depended on how it was collected, 
stored, and subsequently handled. It was one of the "difficult" meteorites to 
classify and was later discovered to be martian because it was included in a 
study of other rare meteorites. 
[Can anyone direct me to a reliable source for proper handling of meteorite 
samples until they can be picked up by the experts?]    
-Chris


In a message dated 6/13/2004 9:37:06 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
72632.1427 at compuserve.com writes:



I saw this story on the web this morning..... Tom

***********



http://news.myway.com/top/article/id/408918|top|06-13-2004::01:26|reuters.h
tml


Grapefruit-Sized Meteorite Smashes Through NZ Home



Jun 13, 1:17 AM (ET) 

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A grapefruit-sized meteorite smashed through the roof 
of a New Zealand house, hitting a couch and bouncing off the ceiling before 
coming to rest under a computer.
The 1.3 kg (2.9 lb) chunk of space debris dropped out of the sky and
plummeted through the tiled roof of the Auckland home Saturday.

"I was in the kitchen doing breakfast and there was this almighty
explosion," owner Brenda Archer told the Sunday Star-Times newspaper.

"It was like a bomb had gone off. I couldn't see anything, there was just 
dust."

Archer's one-year-old grandson had been playing nearby minutes before it hit.

It is only the ninth meteorite found in New Zealand and the first to hit a
home.

The Archers, who are following expert advice by drying the rock out in
their oven, plan to sell it or give it to a museum.

Experts believe the meteorite, a chunk of an asteroid, could be worth more 
than NZ$10,000 ($6,290), the newspaper said.
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