[meteorite-list] Wisconsin meteorite trip report

From: wahlperry at aol.com <wahlperry_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 17 May 2010 11:09:06 -0400
Message-ID: <8CCC3EA0780EE4C-1488-A8FE_at_webmail-d011.sysops.aol.com>

Hi all,

I just returned home from my 3rd trip to the WI strewnfield. The
remaining fields have been planted and the corn is starting to grow.
The no- till fields you can still walk but will soon have vegetation
covering the ground. Many of the hay fields have been cut. The beef
cattle are calving, making access tough . We were able to locate
numerous witnesses to the fireball East of Highway 23. The eye
witnesses were at different sides of the fireball and two directly
underneath the explosions. Two miles West of this location I also
talked with a land owner that saw the fireball explode overhead. The
information placed the fireball on one of our direct lines and under
the doppler returns. The farmers reported hearing "the sound of a jet
overhead " followed by a suction sound as the meteorite passed overhead
as the ground rumbled.

The land owners granted us unlimited access to this 2 square mile area.
Part of the field was freshly cut hay followed by a large no till field
. We spent many hours walking this area with no luck. As with the West
Texas Fall many of the meteorites that landed on the worked fields
buried themselves into the soil. Many of the meteorite hunters were
able to recover meteorites by placing a magnet cane into the holes in
the soil. The Wisconsin strewfield has received 1-2 " of rain after
the fireball and possible erased any hole that a meteorite may have
made. The hay fields could still have meteorites on the surface but
would be pushed into the soil from the hay cutter and then from the
tractor that bails the hay. While walking the cut hay fields the larger
rocks were still easy to see.

I would have to say along with many of the meteorite hunters still in
the field, a large portion of this fall will be lost due to
cultivation and the location of fall. My 3 meteorite hunting trips to
Wisconsin were still a lot of fun and many new friends were made . I
should have pictures and a story up soon. On one of the days hunting I
found a replacement for Brix , a calf that was born hours before. The
calf followed me throughout the field staggering side to side as it
gained strength. It was a great opportunity to take some photos of the
young calf.


Sonny
Received on Mon 17 May 2010 11:09:06 AM PDT


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