Elton, I subsequently found the missing bit here... http://www.darrylpitt.com/willamette.html
The article states that there is evidence of sampling elsewhere, and that "science was again served when this meteorite was cut in 1997" and the end piece in question was removed. So twelve years ago there was undoubtedly no issues with core sampling technology not being available, so science would appear to have been served in a clumsy fashion. Possibly something to do with the trade value of an end piece versus a core? Greg, I like this, it looks much less intrusive.. >Link to image of core sampling at MIT laboratory: >http://www.lunarrock.com/nwa4931/nwa4931core.jpg Interesting paper you link to... >Link to LPSC abstract on magnetic field on Angrite Parent Body: >http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2008/pdf/2143.pdf Especially interesting (re: D'Orbigny) is the differentiation of the random field from the collector's magnet and the stable oriented field presumably induced by the parent body. Now the stable oriented field is discounted as having been acquired by slow thermal acquisition of the earth's field after landing (VRM) or from recrystallisation from a weathering process. However is there any possibility that an oriented meteorite might become magnetised on entry - it gets hot (ok, probably not in the middle), keeps it's orientation, and crosses the earth's albeit rather weak flux extremely quickly? Also I thought coercivity was the resistance to demagnetisation and was related to the magnetic material. I therefore don't get how one can have one magnetic material (the meteorite) carrying high and low coercivity fields unless the fields are carried in different mineral components e.g. one in pyrrhotite and one in magnetite (or throw native iron into the mix). Maybe this is the point that the stable field is held equally through all magnetic minerals but the one from the collector's magnet only really established itself in the more easily magnetised (and demagnetised) component - whatever that is (iron I guess). Regards, John ______________________________________________ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list