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Proofread For Accuracy - Please

Hello List,
I have been asked for permission to publish the following letter in a 
newsletter for Metal Detecting Treasure Hunters.  Before I grant that 
permission I wonder if some of you might proof read the letter for accuracy.  
The letter was written to a novice group of TH'rs in an effort to get them 
started in meteorite hunting.  I feel I have been considerate of issues 
regarding meteorite value and do not intend to add to any discussions 
regarding the matter.  My concerns are with the scientific accuracy of the 
letter, such as Nickel content, appearance etc.  I don't claim to be an 
expert, but I do feel I have a firm grasp of the following info.  I 
appreciate your comments.

Thank you,
George Nicula



Hello All,

I am from Northern Michigan and even in a place as densely wooded as this I 
am still able to find meteorites. Meteorites are not
discriminating. They could care less where they fall, as long as theres a 
place to land. The best place to find meteorites is in
Antarctica. Naturally, if you find a rock on the vast miles of ice that lie 
there it is most certainly a meteorite. The second best
places to find meteorites are deserts, dunes, and dry lake beds. These areas 
are often sporadic with vegetation and generally are
found in climates that arent subject to constant freezing and thawing. In a 
climate such as the one I'm in, I have a lesser chance
of finding anything for many reasons. Freeze-thaw(breaks up meteorites), 
thick vegetation, and changes from glacial activity are
among them. 

As far as metal detectors go, any metal detector will do the trick. If you 
are using one, you will want to avoid well trafficed areas
and steel mills :-) Set it to a very sensitive setting and start searching. 
The reason metal detectors are good for this is that nearly
all meteorites contain a significant amount of iron. 

There are three main categories of meteorites. Irons, stony-irons, and stony.

Iron - An iron meteorite will be made up of... you guessed it, iron. There 
will typically be around 3%-7% nickel in with the iron.
These meteorites are pretty much unmistakable, especially when you find one 
in the baseball and up size. The will be heavy,
comparable to an earthly piece of iron. They may be rusty in color, and they 
may still have a shiny black fusion crust. This crust
will be composed of magnetite formed when the burning of the metal surrounds 
the stone with its trip through our atmosphere.
Depending on the length of time the meteorite has been exposed to terrestrial 
conditions, the crust can vary in color from
black(fresh) to brown(a couple months to a couple thosand years) to red or 
rust( possibly very old. Once again it all depends
on where the meteorite is found. In Michigan I wouldnt doubt if a meteorite 
turned rusty after one season. But I know that
blowing sand will keep the rust away. There are a couple different exterior 
surface features to watch for. One is Regmaglypts or
Piezoglypts. These are thumbprint like features which often create large 
cavities in the iron. When an iron meteorite has deep
regmaglypts, it is more often than not, smooth with nice rolling features. If 
it has shallow reg's it may have sharper features. I
would best describe these reg's as follows: Imagine pressing your thumb into 
a ball of clay in different spots at different degrees.

Stony-iron - These meteorites are a little harder to identify. They are 
roughly about 50% iron and 50% stony material. An
admirable Stony-iron is the Pallasite. A pallasite is basically a chunk of 
iron with olivine crystals(yellow-green) throughout. When
sliced open they can be absolutely beautiful. Any stony iron will be 
unusually heavy. Afterall, its half iron. They can have
regmaglypts and can also have the shape of just another rock. They key thing 
in looking for Stony-irons is the iron content and
the wieght of the stone. And of course whether or not it has a fusion crust.

Stony - Now things are getting complicated. Most stonys contain a small 
percentage of iron. Sometimes enough to be
"detected". Generally you would keep your eyes open for an unusual rock. 
Stony meteorites often fragment during thier
passage. When hunting for stonies keep your eyes open for rocks that look 
like they have been broken and have a crust on one
side. This crust can be Black(often), Brown(often), red(somewhat often) and 
gray(less often). If you can manage a small grape
sized piece of the rock then you should send it to someone who could properly 
identify it. 

There are several classifications of meteorites, and the science of 
meteoritics is getting more complex with each find. When a
meteorite is so identified it goes to a lab(I send mine to the Field Museum 
of Natural History in Chicago) for analysis. After
analysis it is decided by the Meteorite Nomenclature Committee what the 
meteorite will be named. Each meteorite is named by
the area in which it was found. For example, Norton County, Kansas, USA or 
Cumberland Falls, Kentucky, USA. 

Prices/value - Meteorite value is something that ranges and changes with each 
meteorite. Dealers and brokers are known to
offer fair wholesale prices for any new meteorite. They then have a network 
of collectors that they will try to market the metorite
to. I often have people call me saying that they have a meteorite and they 
want $10,000.00 for it. If it is worth that much to me,
then I will pay it. But the truth is, most peoples meteorites are actually 
rocks(1 out of 200) and of the ones that are meteorites it
is unlikely that they have a valuable specimen. Even then I will usually 
offer about $.50 a gram with about 28 grams in an ounce,
16 ounces in a pound. A one pound common meteorite (H class or iron) will 
easily fetch a few hundred bucks or more. even a
very small golfball size meteorite could fetch this amount or near it. But on 
the flipside, a rare carbonaceous chondrite, pallasite,
lunar or mars rock could command a significant amount. Sometimes a few 
thousand, sometimes several thousand, and
sometimes much, much more. The bottom line is that they are definitely worth 
hunting for.

I should also add a couple of things with respect to finding meteorites. If 
you happen across more than one of the same type of
meteorite you should stop there. Get yourself a handheld GPS and document the 
location and conditions of each find. You may
have stumbled across an entire strewn field of meteorites(meteorite shower). 
If you find something like this let me know and I
will assist you(in confidence) with proper procedural duties.

Secondly, I would like to add that there have been many ownership disputes in 
meteorite history. The law states(not qouted)that
a meteorite is owned by the persons who owns the property on which it was 
found or on which it falls. If you find something on
state or federal land it technically belongs to the governing body. If you 
find yourself in this position I can help. You should
always get permission before hunting on private land.

Well I hope this gives you guys something to work from. If you have any 
further questions I will try to help you with them.

Happy Hunting,
George Nicula 

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