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Meteorite Crater in Puno, Peru Declared Natural Heritage Site

(LIP-ir) -- The area where a meteorite landed in Puno, approximately 800 miles from Lima, has been declared a National Cultural and Natural Heritage Site by the Regional Government of Puno, Peru, said the region's president, Pablo Hernán Fuentes Guzmán.

The regional president explained that the meteorite crater was being declared a part of Peru's heritage to preserve it and keep it safe from locals and foreigners that "want to get their hands on it".

Furthermore, Hernán Fuentes stated that these efforts were being made so that the meteorite crater would be protected against the strong rains during this time of year, which could cause the crater to disappear. A national university in Puno has been given the task of preserving the crater during the upcoming rainy season.

The meteorite, which was found to be a chondrite, landed in the town of Carancas near the Peru-Bolivia border on September 15, leaving a crater approximately forty feet in diameter.

The meteorite and its crater have attracted national as well as international attention. After a meteorite collector came to Peru from the US and admitted to having bought thee hundred grams of the meteorite, villagers began to guard the crater.

Fearing the loss of the crater to concerned villagers and the rainy season in Puno, the Regional President announced the crater would be turned into a tourist attraction in November.

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# A.K. says :
3 December, 2007 [ 15:13 ]

Its only a hole in the ground...

# Michael says :
3 December, 2007 [ 19:32 ]

But it's a really nice hole......

# Bob says :
3 December, 2007 [ 23:55 ]

I don't get it.
The water looks too muddy for even cows to drink, and the dirt sides will erode this hole down to a mere divit in the field.

What will the sign say?
"Believe it or not, this unremarkable dent was something really cool, once!"

(...sbd...)

# Phil Whitmer says :
4 December, 2007 [ 10:51 ]

Yeah, why bother, after all it's only the biggest most important chrondrite fall ever, probably won't see another one like this for a quarter million years or so.

# Randall Gregory says :
12 December, 2007 [ 04:40 ]

They are trying their best to save the Crater and extract the meteorite. At least give them a little bit of credit. There are many people without potable water, decent sanitation, or medical care and the government of Puno is spending 20,000 soles to divert the spring rains so as not to flood and possibly wash away the crater.

They are doing the best that they possibly can.

# Randall Gregory says :
18 December, 2007 [ 23:16 ]

Please Michael, will you stop the crybaby stuff. Grow up.  And I do not take kindly to DEATH THREATS from you or anybody else. And you call me a nutjob, Mr. Psychologist.  You are the one that needs therapy. With your stupid public statements you tarnished the meteorite and scientific communities in the United States.

> Stray dogs also get shot and dumped in the sewer.
> I am going to stir some shit soon, I am bored with
> you, and no longer amused at a fuckjob.
> Come on to my house, you will see what I can do.

I believe people are sick and tired reading about private personal skirmishes. I promised my wife to keep these exchanges private, but you choose again to make it public. So be it. Let the list have some peace. This is my last post about you, MF. (unless you force me to defend myself again)

You do the meteorite community no justice when you post things like that. New people to the list might not want to stay. Most people know your money motivations and the ploys you use. Like how you tried to discredit an honest bolivian dealer, how you ridicule people, how you make statements without providing any shred of evidence, how you steal scientific works to impress people, and on and on and on. And on the personal side. You send e-mails to my children, get Michael J. Cottingham to tag-team me at the Living in Peru website. You tell the embassy in Lima, Peru lies about me. If this jeopardizes my wife getting her Visa, you will pay dearly for that.  You tell me that you're going to report me to the U.S. customs as a cocaine smuggler. What's next Mike? 

And please stop your lies. If people want a compendium of your lies, theft of intellectual property, threats, and cheating with positive proof, they can e-mail me privately.  I have a ton and it paints a very vivid picture.

# steve says :
21 December, 2007 [ 12:18 ]

So, it's a hole that's millions of years old and if we don't do something now it will be gone in a year or two?  Somehow that math seems.... fuzzy.

# Paul says :
21 December, 2007 [ 15:34 ]

The crater was formed Sept. 15th this year when the meteorite hit.  The meteorite that formed the crater is millions of years old.

# Randall Gregory says :
5 February, 2008 [ 14:41 ]

Yes, the crater is a national heritage site that is almost totally destroyed. I visited the site a few weeks ago and the crater is unprotected and almost totally washed away. Some people believe that a portion of the meteorite is still buried in the crater. That is unfortunate because every meteorite carries the possibility that there may be fossils contained inside. That in itself would be one of the greatest discoveries in all of mankind.

Unfortunately, millionaire meteorite dealer threw a monkey-wrench into this important scientific event. His public statements greatly harmed the image that people have of Peru and South America in general and prevented a great deal of scientific study.

In many other parts of this forum, Michael Farmer and myself engaged in a war of words over his actions in Peru. It was Michael Farmer that first took this public. I apologize to this forum for this post, but I really don't have many options at this point. This will be my last post if Mike Farmer agrees to change
his public behavior

Mr. Farmer has still refused to let this rest and is continuing to make untrue public statements about me, so I am going to repost this here for the record, for history,  and with the hopes that someone will talk to this person and help guide him back to reality.

My next step with be with the courts in the United States for a Cease and Desist Order. 
This will require me to return to the United States to complete the filing at considerable cost to my family.



Open letter to Mike Farmer:

I do not take kindly to DEATH THREATS from anyone, implied or otherwise.

Mr. Farmer's most recent e-mail to me:

> Stray dogs also get shot and dumped in the sewer.
> I am going to stir some s*** soon, I am bored with
> you, and no longer amused at a f***job.
> Come on to my house, you will see what I can do.

I believe people are sick and tired reading about private personal skirmishes. I promised my wife to keep these exchanges private, but you choose again to make it public. So be it. Let people have some peace. I repeat, this is my last post about you, MF. (unless you force me to defend myself again)

You do the meteorite community no justice when you go public charging officials with corruption and personal mud-slinging. You harmed the people of Peru with your lies. 

New people to the hobby might not want to continue because of what you represented and your attitudes.

Most people know your money motivations but some are unaware of the tricks and ploys you use to sell your meteorites:

* Discrediting honest people just trying to make a living
* Ridicule and harrass people that you consider to be competition
* Making statements without providing any shred of evidence
* Saying strewnfields are contaminated to discourage hunters
* Selling to other dealers with false claims
* Stealing scientific intellectual property, stripping off copyright
   information, posting it to your personal website to impress    people , and on and on and on. 

Don't you already have enough money now or are you insane from greed? And on the personal side. You send terrible e-mails to my children, get your other dealer friend Michael J. Cottingham to tag-team me at the Living in Peru website. You tell the embassy in Lima, Peru lies about me. If this jeopardizes my wife getting her Visa, you will pay dearly for that. You tell me that you're going to report me to the U.S. customs as a cocaine smuggler. What's next Mike?

If people want a compendium of the lies, cheats, theft of intellectual property, threats, and how you mislead people they can e-mail me privately. I have all the documented proof, I have a ton of it, and it paints a very vivid picture of you.


Randall

# Ramon and Heather Estrada says :
18 February, 2008 [ 05:55 ]

 
Come on guys, get it together, its a hobby and we all enjoy it, we are all collectors, we enjoy the chase, and we dont like anybody hitting below the belt.
If you carnt collect with diginity, we suggest a change of jobs.

# Randall Gregory says :
20 February, 2008 [ 13:01 ]

It's a shame that a few meteorite dealers tarnish a noble hobby.

# white goodman says :
29 February, 2008 [ 15:55 ]

My dad is Earl Goodman