John Evans and the Lost Port Orford Meteorite Hoax: The Port Orford, Oregon, Meteorite Mystery
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PrintA historical study of the lost Port Orford meteorite that "presents previously unreported evidence that indicates [John] Evans was ill-trained for his scientific field work ... and that he had amassed a staggering personal debt by consistently overspending his budget. Most startling of all, Plotkin's research led him to the inescapable conclusion that Evans had acquired a small but very rare piece of meteorite, and had hatched a clever scheme whereby he could use it to turn around his financial affairs." Plotkin also attempts to establish the true identity of the meteoritic sample, and contends that it is a fragment of "Imilac, a Chilean pallasit discovered in 1820-1822."
Smithsonian Institution History Bibliography
Includes notes and illustrations.
Smithsonian Contributions to the Earth Sciences Vol. 31 (Journal)
Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu
1993
pp. 1-24