Hello, Anne, Greg, List (old message that didn't post properly, sort of a
'synonym' superceded by my post to Martin),
Anne, I must disagree. A synonym in biology is "A scientific name of an
organism or of a taxonomic group that has been superseded by another name at
the same rank.". While you may be thinking about the non-scientific
"synonym", or the type of synonym used in botany which leaves room for
interpretation in classification, I expect the NomCom has a steadfast
policy.
I don't think it is a good idea to see the 35 synonyms of Campo del Cielo
including "El Taco" as "accepted" plastered all over collections, eBay, as
being implied with Oum Dreyga (still wondering, is Serpent-mother a
translation?). At issue is not whether the meteorite has been called Amgala
in the past - this obviously is the case or there would be nothing to talk
about.
Being "accepted" as a synonym to me means nothing more than a confirmation
that this synonym is scientifically obsolete the way I interpret this, and
the MetSoc/USGS database is trying to be helpful to insure official
nomenclature so old names can be properly classified, not to perpetuate
unofficial (but recognized before the modern science was done) synonyms.
But I could be wrong as my ... always tells me:-),
In the words of Zelimir referencing Captain Blood (May 11, 2005: Is Amgala
Official?: excerpted from met-list)
"...Oum Dreyga is just as fine as Juancheng. Hey Marcin, you'll get used to
it soon. You can talk about Amgala but you should sooner or later re-write
your labels with the new name, so as to fit the official decisions, and
remain the serious and reliable dealer you are now. After all, be happy
thet the Nom Com maintained "Bensour", another name that was used
everywhere, everytime, before the official classification....
"You are completely right Michael. This is true not only in Botany but also
in the recent meteorite history. A couple of years ago, I purchesed
"Turkmenbashi" and "Heze" (names that are still on the original labels).
Many of us probably still remember that these names now respectively
correspond to the well (best) known meteorites
"Kunya Urgensh" and "Juancheng". There should be many other such examples,
Canon Diablo included"
My thoughts (almost) exactly! Thanks Zelimir.
As to Greg's suggestion, the only bulletin that comes up after I looked, as
Anne mentioned lists the official name as Oum Dreyga in MB89 and mentions in
the description, "Fragments have been sold under the names Amgala and Gor
Lefcah." That is the reference as to why it is a "synonym" on line. Simply
because fragments of Oum Dreyga have been sold as those two names.
Perhaps listing them for sale on eBay as Gor Lefcah (or Amgala) is
considered "adhering to the highest standards of meteorite identification
and proper labeling practices," but I amicably disagree. If my assumptions
are mistaken, and the MetSoc guidelines support this, I will proceed to
relabel all of my meteorites with the names I like better that are synonyms
and talk about them as such.
This gets to Greg's interesting comment on whether a meteorite is named
where it starts being recovered or where most falls when given these
options. I would think the main mass is the most logical, but these are
decisions for the NomCom as the competent governing body and probably open
to comment before publication by interested parties.
It is important to realize that a significant amount of pride comes to many
towns and villages when a meteorite is named after their population. There
are many meteorites published in previous bulletins that chose one name over
another for considerations like Greg's, and this does make some people
feeling left out, especially when not much else is is on the list of
attractions. I could mention a long list in less affluent countries, but I
think the Haviland/Greenburg/Brenham situation illustrates this fine given
the community pride there.
Best wishes and great health,
Doug
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