[meteorite-list] Franconia Area Meteorites

From: Matson, Robert <ROBERT.D.MATSON_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:31:12 2004
Message-ID: <AF564D2B9D91D411B9FE00508BF1C86904EE5B20_at_US-Torrance.mail.saic.com>

Hi Ruben and List,

> John is right, as there are many new chondrite finds
> in the Franconia area. I along with Mike Miller have
> been hunting the area for many months, long before it
> was common knowledge to the meteorite community. We
> have found many meteorites, but just as important we
> have found many different types of meteorites.

Congratulations on your success at Franconia! It's a nice
location and I'm sure will continue to be quite productive for
years to come.

> Mike and I have personally submitted for classification
> over 10 different chondrite "types" ranging from an LL
> to an H.

Just a point of clarification here, as this sounds a little like
a chicken-and-the-egg problem: you've submitted multiple chondritic
specimens for classification, and yet you're calling them LL's and
H's. As I understand it, only a single stone (John Wolfe's original
find) has been classified so far (an H5), so how do you know that
you've got an LL? If this is based on magnetic susceptibility,
that's a very unreliable indicator. Mind you, I have no doubt that
you've found multiple unpaired meteorites -- I just think it's
premature to make distinctions of H/L/LL based on physical appearance
and magnetic properties. You could have finds that aren't even
ordinary chondrites.

> And yes we have even found some Iron meteorites! I feel confident
> in saying this because the Arizona State University has been involved
> with us in the classification process since the beginning and
> therefore this is not merely our opinion but also the opinion
> those at Arizona State University.

Now this is news of particular interest to me, in light of the iron
meteorite I had classified this past year (Dutch Flat -- see MB 88).
Dutch Flat is immediately adjacent to the Franconia area, so it would
be very interesting if your finds pair to it.

> I have heard it said once or twice that this may be another
> Gold Basin, let me be the first to say I highly doubt it. First
> of all it is obviously unique because of the many types of
> meteorites being found. Jim Kriegh ( one of the original Gold
> Basin strewnfield finders) upon hunting with us even dubbed it
> the " Meteorite Graveyard" as he too found several different
> types of meteorites.

Finding multiple meteorites in a small area is not unusual -- indeed
it is the norm. If a surface is good for one meteorite, more often
than not it is good for many. Take a look at the relatively tiny
size of Lucerne Valley -- at least a dozen different meteorite types
have been found in this small area. Roach Dry Lake, Cuddeback Dry
Lake, Bluewing Flat, Superior Valley, Willcox Playa, Red Dry Lake --
they all have multiple unpaired finds. What's rare is to find only
a single meteorite type at one location.

> Also in my humble opinion there is not all that much left. This
> is an area where some of the more skilled hunters can and have
> gone days without the slightest signal on their detector.

Music to my ears. If the majority of people are hunting only with
metal detectors, then there will be a bonanza of meteorites waiting
for me when I visit later this month. ;-)

> Many hunters will tell you there are precious few meteorites still
> left.

That's exactly what *I* would tell people if I was hunting there
on a regular basis. <wink>

--Rob
Received on Fri 09 Apr 2004 01:56:59 AM PDT