[meteorite-list] RE: OK - So, What, Where, When and How?

From: Rob Matson <mojave_meteorites_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun Dec 18 23:43:51 2005
Message-ID: <GOEDJOCBMMEHLEFDHGMMEEPACLAA.mojave_meteorites_at_cox.net>

Resending from my home e-mail address -- the List is not accepting
posts from my work e-mail address... --Rob

-----Original Message-----
From: Matson, Robert
To: 'Gary K. Foote '; 'Meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com '
Sent: 12/18/2005 5:40 PM
Subject: RE: [meteorite-list] OK -So, What, Where, When and How?

Hi Gary,

> This might be a silly batch of questions regarding meteorite hunting.
> Y'all might feel proprietary about your personal hunting grounds,
> methods, etc., and I'll understand if you do. But here goes...

> 1.) Where would you go to seek out new finds in the USA? Or where
> would you consider the best known and most productive strewn fields?
> [Details on how too]

For new finds, your best hunting locations will be in the desert
Southwest: Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. More
specifically, your greatest chance of finding a meteorite will be
at some location where they've been found before. Search through
the Meteoritical Bulletins of the last 4 or 5 years and you will
see what I'm talking about.

> 2.) What is your favorite metal detector and how do you prefer
> it's settings?

(I'll leave this question for others more qualified to answer; I
have a metal detector, but I rarely use it.)

> 3.) Do you find the use of rare earth magnets helpful as a hunting
> tool [not a post-find test tool]?

For a new hunter, yes. As you get more experienced, less so.

> 4.) Have you invented any techniques you want to share?

Can't say I've "invented" any special techniques -- mostly common
sense stuff that you learn by doing. The most important factors
for success are good research (to pick promising places to spend
your search time), proper equipment (maps, GPS unit, camera for
photodocumentation, etc.), patience and perseverance.

> 5.) What would you avoid doing at all costs?

Getting myself injured or killed. Safety cannot be overemphasized
when it comes to meteorite hunting. Good search locations are
often far from "civilization", so you need to have enough
provisions to be self-sufficient in case of a mishap. Redundancy
is the best way to avoid single point failures: two people are
safer than one, two vehicles are safer than one, and a cell phone
*and* 2-way radio beats having a cell phone alone. (Many desert
locations have poor cellular coverage.)

If possible when visiting a location for the first time, you should
try to go with someone who has been there before (or at least ask for
advice from someone who has been). You can get important pointers
such as best approach routes, nearest places to get gas/food/water,
info on any flora/fauna to be mindful of -- e.g. rattlesnakes,
coyotes, scorpions, yahoos with guns --, and whether to expect cell
phone coverage or not. If you end up on any dry lakes, get a good
weather report before you go -- high winds can not only make for an
unpleasant day, they can ruin your car's paint job and windshield.
If rain is a possibility, you do not want to be caught on a playa
far from the nearest exit in a downpour -- playa clay turns to
gumbo when wet and becomes undrivable even with all-wheel drive.

Good luck! --Rob
Received on Sun 18 Dec 2005 11:43:43 PM PST