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Fiebre Verde
Joined: 11 Sep 2013
Posts: 942
Location: Paris Area
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Posted: Feb 27, 2017 16:00 Post subject: Re: N'Chwaning 1, 2, 3, Hotazel, Wessels - do you really care? |
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bob kerr wrote: |
- Concerning current or future scientific value of our specimens, I have a more pragmatic view. In most cases, our specimens are probably one of the many, many thousands – or even tens of thousands – or millions, removed from a locality. This along with the label uncertainty mentioned above makes it hard for me to see how my specimens would ever be of scientific importance – good science needs good accuracy.
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I think you hit the nail on the head Bob.
An accurate geographical origin is something we all value to some degree but it is vital for any serious scientific work done with samples or specimens.
If a specimen is not purposely sampled for scientific reasons to start with, even the most detailed label will never replace the accuracy needed to carry a chemical and isotope analyses. |
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alfredo
Site Admin
Joined: 30 Jan 2008
Posts: 981
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Posted: Mar 01, 2017 13:40 Post subject: Re: N'Chwaning 1, 2, 3, Hotazel, Wessels - do you really care? |
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As a geologist, I'm interested in the characteristics of the deposit a mineral came from, it's geological environment. Names of mines are often a political or administrative convention and don't necessarily provide more accuracy. If you get specimens labelled "Chuquicamata mine" and "Chocaya-Animas mining district", which label provides more precise locality info? In this case, the mining district label does! Chuquicamata is a gigantic pit, a few kilometers long. Chocaya-Animas is a string of 6 mines, all working the same set of veins, and covering a much smaller total area than Chuquicamata.
But collectors seem to have an intense drive to know a mine name, whether or not that actually gives them any more detailed information. Hence the majority of dealers label all phosphophyllite specimens from Potosi city as being from the "Unificada mine", because it keeps the customers happy, even though that name is merely an administrative convenience and does not indicate which part of the mountain a phosphophyllite specimen came from! |
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Pierre Joubert
Joined: 09 Mar 2012
Posts: 1605
Location: Western Cape
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Posted: Mar 02, 2017 01:24 Post subject: Re: N'Chwaning 1, 2, 3, Hotazel, Wessels - do you really care? |
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I like Alfredo's reasoning. Our collecting field in the Western Cape is relatively poor in crystallized species, but beautiful quartz is in abundance. I collect from numerous places across a few hundred km and will never specify exactly where the specimens come from, and for obvious reasons. The region is good enough for me; any more detail is welcome. I usually give the closest town as the area of origin. I also agree with Bob Kerr and Gerard. _________________ Pierre Joubert
'The tree of silence bears the fruit of peace. ' |
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