Hello Mike,
On the contrary, Orguiel is a CI1, and is thus one of the most
primitive pieces of matter on the planet. It hasn't experienced
temperatures above about 200C - and contains a multitude of complex
organic molecules, just like Murchison. The only reason more work
hasn't been done on it is because there's simply not that much to go
around - it's much less common than its Australian rival.
But, yes, perhaps Tagish lake should belong on the list, as it *is*
the freshest available sample of such material available to modern
science. And Orgueil's historic, to boot! Great rock, that.
Such meteorites likely contained the building blocks of the earliest
organisms, as they seeded planets that, science tells us, would have
been devoid of complex organic molecules and water, those compounds
that are so necessary for the existence of life as we know it.
#2 - Hoba. The world's biggest iron and it certainly belongs on the
list. But if Hoba was selected, then why not Canyon Diablo? The
glaring absence of Canyon Diablo is also made more curious by the
inclusion of Willamette.
That's all very well, but I don't know what you mean by a bias towards
irons. The only one I see that doesn't belong is Wilamette, and I
think we're in agreement that it should be replaced by either Canyon
Diablo or Campo del Cielo.
Also, the whole "life" in ALH 84001 thing...it could well be, but
until that's proven, I don't think you can really say it's the most
important meteorite that we have. It could be proof of
extraterrestrial life, but it might just be a cool Shergottite. Until
that's *proven,* you're just looking at another Port Orford, or a
Chinguetti of the scientific world, so to speak.
But we're degenerating into making personal lists of ten again...there
it goes....
Regards,
Jason
On Thu, Dec 31, 2009 at 12:53 PM, Galactic Stone& Ironworks
<meteoritem...@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi Eric and List,
An interesting little presentation, but I don't agree with some of the
entries on the list.
Let's start from #10 and work our way to the top.
#10 - Allende. Allende certainly belongs on the list, but I think it
may merit a higher rank than #10.
#9 - Murchison. This one also belongs on the list, and based on the
science alone, it should rank in the top 3 or top 5. Murchison has
taught us much and it deserves a higher rank.
#8 - Peekskill. A fine hammer fall and a great witnessed fall. I
have no issues with this one, but Murchison should rank higher than
Peekskill.
#7 - Orgueil. Historical falls from previous centuries opens a whole
new can of worms. If Orgueil is included, why not L'Aigle? Or why
not another type fall like Nakhla? No offense to Orgueil, but this
one is dubious entry on a list that is directed towards the mainstream
lay-public audience.
#6 - ALH 84001. This one should be #1 in my opinion. It is the Holy
Grail of meteorites and it contains what many scientists agree is
proof that life once existed on Mars. As the latest papers have
revealed, the evidence for Martian life contained in this meteorite is
increasingly solid. I can't think of a more significant meteorite
than this one.
#5 - Sylacauga. Mrs. Hodges would rank this one as #1. But is it
more significant than ALH 84001? In my opinion, no. And couldn't
they find a photo for it? A quick Google Image search or Encyclopedia
of Meteorites search reveals several.
#4 - Sikhote Alin. A great historical fall by all measures. I have
no issue with this one, other than the obvious one - it shouldn't
outrank ALH-84001.
#3 - Willamette. Nice choice, but we are now seeing a definite bias
on this list towards iron meteorites. If Willamette made the list,
why not one (or more) of the Cape York masses? Heck, Murchison is
certainly more significant than this one.
#2 - Hoba. The world's biggest iron and it certainly belongs on the
list. But if Hoba was selected, then why not Canyon Diablo? The
glaring absence of Canyon Diablo is also made more curious by the
inclusion of Willamette.
#1 - Tunguska! ......a non-meteorite. This one is an odd choice.
First, it's not a meteorite, it's an impact event. It was probably
caused by a meteorite or comet, but no meteorites were recovered. And
if we are going to include an impact event, why not Canyon Diablo? CD
is more recognizable to the target audience of this list and there are
tons of iron meteorites laying around to show for it. And if we are
going to include speculative comets like Tunguska, then why not Tagish
Lake?
It's a fun list, but you can tell an intern put it together and not
someone familiar with meteorites.
Best regards and Happy New Year!
MikeG
On 12/31/09, Meteorites USA<e...@meteoritesusa.com> wrote:
Hi All,
Did anyone read the Science Channel's Top Ten Meteorites of All Time list?
http://science.discovery.com/top-ten/2009/meteors/meteors.html
My article on MeteoriteBlog.com
http://meteoriteblog.com/top-ten-meteorites-of-all-time-science-channel/
Opinions?
Regards,
Eric Wichman
Meteorites USA
Meteorite Blog
Meteorite Wiki
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