· Get a Cloudy Nights T-Shirt · Submit a Review / Article Click here if you are having trouble logging into the forums Privacy Policy | Please read our Terms of Service | Signup and Troubleshooting FAQ | Problems? PM a Red or a Green Gu… uh, User You are not logged in. [Login] Entrance · Main Index · Search · New user · Who's Online FAQ · Calendar Speciality Forums >> Space Rocks Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Pages: 1 oblako member Reged: 07/01/12 A Pallasite or a fake       #5669798 - 02/08/13 09:26 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   A few years ago I was given a Pallasite, Esquel.It was my birthday present. Here's the rock http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8491/8314954465_d523c543b3_k.jpg A week or so ago I bought a microscope and started looking at my Esquel over it. First I discovered a few green bubbles: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8053/8443523544_9f83c80f93_b.jpg I emailed the image to a few friends and even to a few scientists. The ones who responded told me it was probably contamination, but then I discovered more green bubbles http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8515/8449232468_06a6566c76_b.jpg and more green bubbles http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8494/8448525196_051064ac59_h.jpg and then I discovered a few unopened bubbles: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8508/8452596806_0d1bb9602d_b.jpg and a strange red thing with something green inside http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8188/8448523656_74e7779e66_b.jpg and then there were more bubbles, and more red and green things. The excitement grew. It no longer looked as contamination. The bubbles were completely embedded in the olivine crystals! Now we were discussing that my Esquel should be send for a micro-probe to extract the gases that survived in the bubbles inside olivine crystals. Well, guess what, my olivine crystals were not olivine crystals at all. They were just a clear glue! The rock was bought from a famous dealer Robert Haag. I thought he could be trusted. Now I am not sure what is real in my Esquel, if anything, but the worst thing is that I am not sure who could be trusted now, and also hours I spent studying that contaminated glue under a microscope, taking pictures of it, emailing the pictures to others, these hours was just a lost time. Edited by oblako (02/08/13 09:43 PM) Post Extras:       csa/montana Den Mama Reged: 05/14/05 Loc: montana Re: A Pallasite or a fake [Re: oblako]       #5670015 - 02/09/13 12:48 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Who examined it, and determined it was glue? Post Extras:       peter scherff sage Reged: 07/11/06 Re: A Pallasite or a fake [Re: csa/montana]       #5670179 - 02/09/13 05:45 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi Oblako, Welcome to the Space Rocks forum. I don't pretend to know the history of your Esquel, however...Many rocks are "stabilized" prior to cutting. Stabilizing frequently means that the rock is soaked in a thin "epoxy". One common product used is Opticon. Another possibility is that your sample may have been "conserved". Many pallasites have been repaired by removing the rust that may form on them. As a part of the conservation process lose olivine crystals may be glued back in using a "super" glue. Unfortunately it is also common practice not to disclose any of these treatments. I would not be surprised if the person who sold the meteorite to you was unaware of what had been done to the meteorite. You still have a beautiful Esquel. Thanks, Peter Post Extras:       oblako member Reged: 07/01/12 Re: A Pallasite or a fake [Re: peter scherff]       #5670263 - 02/09/13 08:09 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Thanks for welcoming me to the forum. Robert Haag who sold me Esquel glued it himself. He does not deny it. I understand that some Pallasites should be stabilized, but a buyer should have known about this before buying, has he not? Besides a few people who themselves used a microscope to look at Pallasites saw my images, and nobody has ever seen anything like that before. Post Extras:       peter scherff sage Reged: 07/11/06 Re: A Pallasite or a fake [Re: oblako]       #5670299 - 02/09/13 08:41 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi Oblako, I agree with you. Unfortunately, that is not the practice in the meteorite collecting community. Ideally we would know everything that has been done to the samples in our collections. Most collectors don't ask about the processing history of their meteorites. Until collectors, as a whole, start to ask about the treatments of meteorites we won't be offered this information. I am sorry to say that Bob was just following "industry standards". Thanks, Peter Post Extras:       oblako member Reged: 07/01/12 Re: A Pallasite or a fake [Re: peter scherff]       #5670520 - 02/09/13 11:09 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   See, the problem is that I do not know where is a genuine olivine and where is a contaminated glue. For example, there are a few places with some kind of round formations like this one http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8226/8451507349_ed06b1009a_b.jpg It is neat, but what is it, an olivine or a glue? Post Extras:       peter scherff sage Reged: 07/11/06 Re: A Pallasite or a fake [Re: oblako]       #5670536 - 02/09/13 11:17 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi, I wish I could tell you what that is. Perhaps you could reverse the "conservation" process. Both Opticon & super glue dissolve in acetone. You could try soaking your sample in acetone. However you might find that many of the crystals fall out. Good Luck. Peter Post Extras:       Pages: 1 Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Extra information 0 registered and 2 anonymous users are browsing this forum. 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