[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Proofread For Accuracy - Please [% nickel in irons]

Hello George and list,

This is an interesting initiative, to let treasure hunters know that
treasure doesn't always take the form of a golden ring or an old coin, but
may just look like a rock.

I hope that you will be able to publish some photographs as well, as the
principle that "a picture is worth a thousand words" is very applicable
here. The shape and surface texture of meteorites is quite distinctive, and
this is much more accurately communicated with photographs than with text
descriptions.

I would take issue with one small point of fact -- not really important for
the purposes of this article, but why not keep it accurate anyway?

>There will typically be around 3%-7% nickel in with the iron.

I could be wrong, but I have never heard of an iron with only 3% nickel,
and many have more than 7%. A quick dig in a couple of my books came up
with these figures:

O. Richard Norton, "Rocks from Space", pp. 216-217:
"Nickel is alloyed with iron in most iron meteorites, ranging from a little
less than 5 percent to as high as 50 percent....
...most iron meteorites contain between 7 percent and 13 percent nickel..."

Hutchinson and Graham, "Meteorites", p. 34:
"Most irons contain 7 to 15 percent by weight of nickel."

Both Nininger and Bob Haag have made it clear that the best way to find
more meteorites is not to work harder searching by yourself, but to train
large numbers of others at identifying meteorites. Getting treasure hunters
involved is another important step in that direction. Good luck to you.

Best wishes to all from drizzly Amsterdam,

Piper Hollier

At 20:31 4-04-99 EDT, you wrote:
>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 
>
>----------
>Archives located at:
>http://www.meteoritecentral.com/list_best.html
>
>For help, FAQ's and sub. info. visit:
>http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing_list.html
>----------
>
>
>

----------
Archives located at:
http://www.meteoritecentral.com/list_best.html

For help, FAQ's and sub. info. visit:
http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing_list.html
----------
Follow-Ups: