IMCA Insights – January 2011
How it all started - Part 1
by Anne Black & Various IMCA Members
In December 2010 I
asked our members for input for our IMCA Insights, and a few questions
that would shed light on the different backgrounds of those members who
were willing to answer. I asked:
- How did you become
interested by meteorites?
- Which one was your
first one?
- Which one is your
favorite one?
- And a picture of
that meteorite would be nice too.
Here are the first six
responses we received, some with pictures, some without. Enjoy!
Twink Monrad
The Golden Rule
Meteorite
(Photo courtesy of Twink Monrad)
Q: How did
you become interested by meteorites?
A: I became
interested in meteorites when my friends Jim Kriegh and John Blennert
invited me to help map the Gold Basin strewnfield.
Q: Which one was your first one?
A:
My first meteorite was a Gold Basin I found.
Q: Which one is your favorite one?
A:
My favorite is the 797 gram L5 Golden Rule I found in the Gold Basin
strewnfield (see the photo above).
Twink Monrad
IMCA 9454
Arlene Schlazer
I've been a collector since childhood, basically of rocks, minerals,
shells and fossils. I was at a Swap Meet of all places, and came upon a
booth filled with beautiful amethyst cathedrals, crystals, etc. Of
course, I had to have a look. And there on the counter stood a slice of
etched metal. I asked what it was, as I had never seen anything quite
like it before, and the gentleman said it was a Gibeon meteorite. That
was the beginning of my odyssey into the world of meteorites!
What began as a leisurely stroll on a Sunday afternoon has led me in to
a community of wonderful people, a collection that encompasses a wide
array of beautiful and intriguing cosmic treasures and an unending
passion for creating digital art from them. I was instantly intrigued
with the idea that it took a 4.5 billion year journey through the cosmos
to ultimately land in my living room! I was fascinated that something
that old could resemble modern abstract art. And so, that led to my idea
for "Art from Out of this World". Utilizing the underlying patterns, and
working with different software programs, my motto still
holds......."The possibilities for creating are as infinite as the stars
above that rained these treasures we call meteorites"..... Below
are a few photos of before and after........ enjoy!.........
Arlene Schlazer
IMCA 5219
Gibeon Etch Pattern
Inspiration for the Aurora series
(Photo courtesy of Arlene Schlazer)
Gibeon Aurora LR
(Picture courtesy of Arlene Schlazer)
Gibeon Aurora II LR
(Picture courtesy of Arlene Schlazer)
Charley Butterfield
I don't remember exactly what spurred me to make my first meteorite
purchase. My first purchases were a Mundrabilla and a Nantan (bought at
the
same time).
It is difficult to say which is my favorite but I guess I would have to
say Sikhote-Alin (followed by Brenham and New Concord).
Charley Butterfield
IMCA 6123
Warren Sansoucie
I became interested in meteorites by way of my uncle, an engineer that
worked for NASA at the Cape. He always had a nice collection of
meteorites and I was hooked the instant I learned what they were.
My first meteorite was one from his collection, a Canyon Diablo (around
60 grams). My favorite meteorite is a NWA unclassified ordinary
chondrite. This particular specimen (see the photo below) has a
beautiful red-orange and mottled yellow matrix and a moderate amount of
metal.
Warren Sansoucie
IMCA 3174
Unclassified NWA
Chondrite
(Photo courtesy of Warren Sansoucie)
Washington S. McCuistian
Q: How did you become interested by meteorites?
A: I've always had an affinity for space. Seeing as how I could hold
something that travelled through space seemed (and still seems!)
fantastic. It's amazing to think that the history of the solar system,
galaxies, and even the universe can be found in the many varied rocks
that come to Earth.
Q: Which one was your first one?
A: Tatahouine, approx. 1 gram
Q: Which one is your favorite one?
A: Even though I collect micros, my favorite meteorite is the L4/5 DaG
570 main mass I own. It is approximately 734 grams (see the photo
below). My entire family loves it!
Washington S. McCuistian
IMCA 8942
DaG 570, L4/5
Chondrite, Main Mass
(Photo courtesy of Washington S. McCuistian)
Mike D.
Reynolds, Ph.D.
Q: How did you become interested by meteorites?
A: I was interested in astronomy and space since I was 7 years old --
some 50 years ago...
Q: Which one was your first one?
Canyon Diablo; I bought a small fragment during a field trip to the
Childrens Museum (!!) when I was 9. I spent my milk money on that
meteorite; my parents could not understand why I spent money on a
meteorite.
Q: Which one is your favorite one?
A: ALL of them!!!
Q: And a picture of that meteorite would be nice too.
A: You do not have enough disc space...
Mike D. Reynolds, Ph.D.
Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Florida State College at Jacksonville
IMCA 1964
Next month
we will present you with some more interesting responses by our members
- stay tuned, and if you want to share your own story, you know how to
reach us.
This
article has been compiled and edited by Anne Black and Norbert
Classen
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