[Rockhounds] A most exciting method of collecting...

[Tim Jokela Jr.]

Meteorites can still be found. Research the classic strewn fields, map 'em 
out. Buy the best metal detector you can afford and put some time into it. 
The freeze-thaw cycle brings buried stuff to the surface, wind and water 
move stuff around. If strewn fields are many km in size, should be some bits 
left if you search long enough. Rumor has it that there's plenty to be found 
in the deserts of Morocco. Rent a 4x4 and drive around, looking for black 
rocks, the dealers hire natives to seek them out. Everybody thinks 
meteorites are fabulously rare, but they're common enough that you can still 
buy some of them by the kilo for not all that much.

Cheers,

T


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "J. R. Hodel" <jr50wv at yahoo.com>
To: <rockhounds at lists.drizzle.com>
Sent: Sunday, November 30, 2008 10:06 AM
Subject: [Rockhounds] A most exciting method of collecting...


Waiting for a rock to fall from the sky and explode just above a rural 
community!

I saw a noteworthy meteor back in 1969, my (then girlfriend) wife and I were 
driving to my parent's house after work around midnight, and the landscape 
lit up brighter than mid-day. We each leaned out the car windows and looked 
up to see a streak of brilliant light from horizon to horizon, (SSW to NNE)!

It quickly dimmed, but when it first lit up I actually thought it was a 
atomic weapon of some sort! That's how bright it was, like the end of the 
world.

The newswires quickly reported that it was seen from North Carolina to upper 
NY state, and must have just grazed the upper atmosphere. It was like a huge 
fluorescent tube across the entire sky, and if it had just a few degrees 
different course it would have landed in the south somewhere.

My family growing up was night-owls as my Dad worked nights putting out a 
morning newspaper, so I've seen more meteors and such than most 
non-astronomers. We live in the country as well, which make it possible to 
see comets and meteorites and such, compared to the city lights. Very 
interesting rocks indeed!

What are the odds of self-collecting one of these babies? I suppose you 
could metal-detect around known landing sites and increase the odds a 
little... Isn't this how that big meteorite full of crystals displayed in 
Tuscon a couple of years ago was found? Hi-tech metal detectors in Nebraska 
or somewhere like that...IIRC.

I read once about a geology (or maybe astronomy?) professor who asked mining 
companies to provide him metal junk, removed from the beltways of 
underground mines by power electromagnets intended to keep metal tools from 
messing up crushing machinery, in hopes of finding ancient nickle-iron 
meteorites, does this ring a bell with anyone?

JR in WV






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