Sample Collection and Curation

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Antarctic Meteorite Sample Collection and Curation

Collection and Naming of Meteorites

The US Antarctic meteorite program has recovered meteorites from many different geographic regions in the Transantarctic Mountains (see Map). All samples found are collected, rather than high grading of samples in the field, in order to minimize bias. Samples are collected in the field and assigned a temporary five digit number upon collection. When samples are returned to NASAJSC they are assigned an official name and number according to the guidelines set by the Nomenclature Committee of the Meteoritical Society; a three letter prefix abbreviates the geographic location (e.g., MIL = Miller Range), followed by either a 5 or 6 digit number. The first two numbers are from the year that the field season began (e.g. 2007–2008 samples have 07 as the first two digits. The remaining three or four digits are assigned to samples within that year's collection. In some years, more than 999 samples were collected in the same geographic location, so a fourth digit is used. In years where >999 samples are collected, but from different regions, it is usually possible to maintain five digit rather than six digit numbering, but there are exceptions to this. The official numbers are not assigned in the field, so they have no relation to the sequence in which the samples were collected, nor do they reflect size or importance.

Code Site Name
ALH Allan Hills
AMU Amundsen Glacier
BEC Beckett Nunatak
BOW Bowden Neve
BTN Bates Nunataks
BUC Buckley Island
CMS Cumulus Hills
CRA Mt. Cranfield
CRE Mt. Crean
DAV David Glacier
DEV Devil's Glacier
DNG D'Angelo Bluff
DEW Mt. DeWitt
DOM Dominion Range
DRP Derrick Peak
EET Elephant Moraine
FIN Finger Ridge
GDR Gardner Ridge
GEO Geologists Range
GRA Graves Nunataks
GRO Grosvenor Mountains
HOW Mt. Howe
ILD Inland Forts
KLE Klein Ice Field
LAP LaPaz Ice Field
LAR Larkman Nunatak
LEW Lewis Cliff
LON Lonewolf Nunataks
MAC MacAlpine Hills
MBR Mount Baldr
MCY MacKay Glacier
MET Meteorite Hills
MIL Miller Range
ODE Odell Glacier
NOD Nødtvedt Nunataks
OTT Outpost Nunatak
PAT Patuxent Range
PCA Pecora Escarpment
PGP Purgatory Peak
PRA Mt. Pratt
PRE Mt. Prestrud
QUE Queen Alexandra Range
RBT Roberts Massif
RKP Reckling Peak
SAN Sandford Cliffs
SCO Scott Glacier
STE Stewart Hills
SZA Szabo Bluff
TEN Tentacle Ridge
TIL Thiel Mountains
TYR Taylor Glacier
WIS Wisconsin Range
WSG Mt. Wisting
Map of Meteorite Recovery Locations

Meteorite Locations Context

Map of Meteorite Recovery Locations

Meteorite Locations Map 1

Map of Meteorite Recovery Locations

Meteorite Locations Map 2

Map of Meteorite Recovery Locations

Meteorite Locations Map 3

Map of Meteorite Recovery Locations

Meteorite Locations Map 4

Map of Meteorite Recovery Locations

Meteorite Locations Map 5