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Roll Overs:
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Copyright (c) Paul Gessler.
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2,323 kg. Iron, IIAB
TKW 2,753 kg. Fall not observed. Found early 1976, Old Woman Mountains, San Bernardino County, California, USA.
Paul writes:
Paul (Slim Pickins) Gessler writes:
YEEEE HAAAA! I Finally Road the Old Woman! What a Ride!
From Wikipedia:
The Old Woman Meteorite is the largest meteorite found in California and the second largest in the United States. It was discovered in the Old Woman Mountains in southern California in late 1975. It is 38 inches (970 mm) long, 34 inches (860 mm) high, and 30 inches (760 mm) wide. The meteorite is mostly composed of iron, but also contains nickel (about 6%), as well as small amounts of chromium, cobalt, phosphorus, and sulfur.
It was put on display in the Smithsonian Institution from 1978 to 1980, and now resides in the Desert Discovery Center in Barstow, California. It originally weighed 6,070 pounds (2,750 kg)), but has since had a 942 pounds (427 kg) slice removed for scientific study. A United States Marine Corps team helped remove the meteorite from the mountains using a helicopter and cargo net.
It was discovered by 3 miners who then staked a legal claim. The claim was disputed by the government which said the claim did not apply to a meteorite, and after a lengthy court battle the meteor was taken by the Bureau of Land Management, a part of the U.S. Government.
The last paragraph seems not to be true, as elucidated by Bob Verish in The Meteorite Times.
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Click to view larger photos
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Found at the arrow (green or red) on the map below
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Mark Bowling
1/8/2017 9:55:57 AM |
:) |
Anne Black
1/5/2017 7:31:34 PM |
Paul!!!! No respect for this very ancient Lady from Space????!!!!!!!!!! |
Part 3
1/5/2017 1:50:07 PM |
Part 3. The rest was political. 85% of the meteorite essentially got to stay primarily in California as long as the Smithsonian was acknowledged as the owner based on the Antiquities Act of 1906, which was never intended by legislators for meteorites but rather human antiquities. Buchwald was an expert witness in the case and sided squarely with the Smithsonian. 10 years earlier he had taken the 20 ton Cape York mass he took credit for finding after being brouht to the region on the dime of the US military. Buchwald took it from Greenland and opined its natural place was in Copenhagen. Buchwald also argued Old Waman need to be sectioned in half, but Wasson intervened among others, refuting that claim (based on it being a transition between "hexahedrite" and "octahedrite" types, (where Wasson later became the foremost classification expert!) And that is why the Old Woman can be ridden and enjoyed today (the section was from the bottom which was the most corroded part and original r |
MexicoDoug
1/5/2017 1:29:53 PM |
part 2. Clarke abused his position and the public trust as a scientist and public museum authority by suggesting the large chunk he received to analyze was not possible to confirm as meteoritic. He unscrupulously told Friberg only by bringing him to the remote rock slide mountain location to see it could he confirm it. He led them to believe their mining claim would protect their legitimate claim and interest. Upon seeing it, after the prospectors, basically broke took him out in their 30 year old vehicle on their dime on a two day trek he was frightened to be on, and due to his surreptitious intentions he advised others to monitor what happened to him after he did his dirty deed. He immediately changed his attitude and indicated it belonged to the Smithsonian upon arriving at the location. |
MexicoDoug
1/5/2017 1:26:14 PM |
Mike Jendruczak, 26, engaged to be married, who was with his mineral buddy David Friberg discovered and immediately recognized this as a meteorite. It was due solely to his incredible skill, insistence, with a lucky break. UCLA (John Wasson) supported the miners initially, to some extent, but embarrassingly, Caltech (which suggested it was a 'wrong) and others screwed up the nickel analysis and caused Friberg to reach out to Roy Clarke Jr. of the Smithsonian and others for essentially, MetSoc approval. |
Murray
1/5/2017 10:02:27 AM |
You kinda have that look of Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove as he rides it down :-o
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Jansen Lyons
1/5/2017 8:52:43 AM |
Nice one Paul! Cheers! |
Adri*n Contreras G*mez
1/5/2017 2:38:59 AM |
No le da verg*enza subirse encima de una anciana!!?? Hahaha... Gracias por compartir. Saludos! |
John Hope
1/5/2017 1:11:59 AM |
Love your sense of humour Paul.What a ride of a life time and I bet the Old Women loved it too. |
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