[meteorite-list] Cold hunting

From: dfpens_at_comcast.net <dfpens_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:29:55 2004
Message-ID: <20030915013655.3A70353843_at_pairlist.net>

Rob and All:

I was hoping to elicit some discussion on whether there was some chance of
finding any of the Chicora pieces that I speculated may still be around. I
didn't mean to get so far off the thread of "cold hunting".

I thought some of the more knowledgeable list members might provide some
advice.

Perhaps this is a topic for another thread.

Best Wishes,

Dave
> Hi All,
>
> On the subject of met hunting, Dave P. replied to my remark:
>
> Matson: "If you want to reduce search time per (cold) meteorite
> find (i.e. non-strewnfield), the #1 factor is "survival time" --
> you must maximize it any way you can:
>
> 1. Low deposition rate -- ideally a ~negative~ deposition rate: you'd
> prefer a surface that is "deflating"
>
> 2. Low annual precipitation
>
> 3. Minimal human presence"
>
> -----
> with:
>
> > There is yet another way. Search a known strewn field - not one
> > that has been picked over but one that has not.
>
> Searching a known strewn field (picked over or not) will naturally
> produce meteorites faster than any non-strewn field. (The discussion
> thread was specific to cold hunting.) Certainly if anyone wanted to
> find a meteorite as quickly as possible, I would direct them to
> Holbrook, Gold Basin, Park Forest, Allende etc. as no large strewn
> field is ever completely searched out, and you have the further
> advantage of knowing exactly what you're looking for. (Caveat on
> Gold Basin: this area has been searched for a long time by a very
> large number of people, so the rate of new GB finds is perhaps
> approaching the natural "background" rate of any good desert
> locale. Just look at the number of non-GB finds that have been
> made.)
>
> On the same subject, Zelimir Gabelica wrote:
>
> > I believe Mark is perfectly right by saying that most meteorites
> > are lying below the soil surface. I did not make any compiling
> > but I guess if you go through all the Met. Bull's reporting
> > meteorite FINDS, I am pretty sure that about (at least ?)
> > half of them were found through plowing some field.
>
> You're forgetting about NWA, and more importantly Antarctica. The
> number of buried meteorite finds is an insignificant fraction
> compared to those found on the surface.
>
> Cheers,
> Rob
>
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Received on Sun 14 Sep 2003 09:36:51 PM PDT