[meteorite-list] Gold Basin

From: Doug Ross <doug_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2015 13:57:09 -0800
Message-ID: <0CBC94EE-226B-40CD-8817-624783CB5184_at_dougross.net>

Congratulations to Joe and Larry on this great accomplishment, 20 years after the original discovery of the Gold Basin meteorite! That is some seriously remote and challenging terrain you have tackled to extend the known strewn field. And your conscientious efforts to document and share find data set a great example for all who plan to follow in your footsteps. It?s a great day for all of us who have enjoyed hunting Gold Basin, and bodes well for future hunting trips.

All the best,

Doug Ross
doug at dougross.net


> Hello List,
>
> As you may have heard, there has been a major development concerning
> the Gold Basin strewn field. Of course, it's possible this is not GB
> but the evidence looks very promising.
>
> Three years ago Joe Franske ventured to the north side of Lake Meade in
> search of the big end of Gold Basin. According to Joe, it took him 6
> tries to get to the right location, but once he did, it took him only 3
> hours to find a meteorite. This is a monumental feat to say the least.
> He brought me in on the project last March and I take no credit for
> this discovery. Sure, we all had an idea that the strewn field crossed
> the lake, we all drew lines, but only one guy had the steel to go get
> it done. Hats off to Joe.
>
> Joe and I have decided we are pretty much done out there for now. We
> documented well over 100 pounds, most of which was found on the
> south side of Jumbo Peak. Last week I extended the field another 5.75
> miles with 2 finds on the north side of Jumbo, including
> a 34 pound stone that was broken into many pieces. We decided to give you guys
> some details regarding the find
> locations, hence this message, but in return we would like to know
> about
> any finds you make so that we may continue documenting the strewn
> field. Jim Kreigh, John Blennert and Twink Monrad did a fantastic job
> documenting in the past and we would like to do the same. I know there
> are some hunters out there that will not share and so be it, but most
> of us are
> good people and I would expect some cooperation for the good of the
> larger picture. Please send your reports to me so that I can share them
> with the scientist involved with our work.
>
> Joe found the first stone on the south side of Jumbo Peak and that is
> where the majority of the finds were made. The area is only about a
> mile wide and I highly doubt that defines the outer limits of the
> field, however, to go farther east or west is difficult due to terrain.
> Go onto Google earth and you will see the valley just south of the peak, and north of the park boundary,
> this is where you start.
>
> On the north side of Jumbo Peak you will find most of the area too soft
> for meteorite recovery. Decomposing granite has likely buried the
> stones too deep for detection. In my mind it's a small miracle that I
> found the 2 stones on that side. To put the difficulty into
> perspective, we spent 36 man days to locate the 2 stones and out of
> four hunters I was the only one to score. That place will hand your
> butt
> to you on a platter, as they say.
>
> As a side note;
> If you decide to give this place a try there are some things to
> consider. To get to the south side of Jumbo you will need a 4 wheel
> drive and it takes about 3.5 - 4 hours once you leave Mesquite. There
> is no phone service and the road out wants to eat your truck! If you
> go, plan to stay for several days at least, it's a lot of work and
> expense just for a day or two.
>
> If you have any specific questions feel free to email me.
>
> Good luck and fair sailing to all who go!
>
>
>
>
> Here's the low down on the science so far.
>
> I submitted samples from my 16+ lb. stone (found March, 2014) to UCLA
> this past summer.
> It did come back L6 as can be seen below. Dr. Kring wants to do
> more work including cosmogenics and such, on several different samples
> to help come to a conclusion as to whether or not it is indeed Gold
> Basin .
>
> When asked how I know it's GB I say that the classification is
> consistent, they look the same in hand, on the exterior and the
> interior, and they are in line with the logical progression of the
> known field. Sure, it could be something different, but simply put,
> the easiest, most obvious and logical answer is usually the right
> answer. I'd be very, very surprised if it was something else.
>
> UCLA (Rubin, Breen)
>
> "received August 18, 2014, 2 pieces, 23.7 g
> L6 S4 W1
> olivine: Fa 23.9?0.2 (n=15); low-Ca pyroxene: Fs20.3?0.3 Wo1.6?0.2
> (n=12)
>
> plagioclase grains are typically 60-100 ?m in size. The rock exhibits
> weak mosacisim but does not contain maskelynite."
>
>
>
> Sincerely,
> Larry Atkins
>
> IMCA # 1941
> Ebay alienrockfarm
>
Received on Thu 26 Feb 2015 04:57:09 PM PST


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