[meteorite-list] What great hobby!! + microwaves to detect meteorites?

[Graham Christensen]

Are you using a metal detector or just visual? I do both. I use a metal 
detector but at the same time I have a magnet on a short flexable stick on 
my belt so that if I see anything on the surface I can probe at it quickly 
and then return to sweeping with the detector. I hate it when the detector 
goes off and I dig for 5 minutes to find a pipe or something.

I wonder if it's possible to use microwaves to detect meteorites? Conductive 
metal will backscatter microwaves and can be detected by an appropriate 
instrument (this is how radar works). Perhaps it's possible to send a beam 
of microwaves into the ground over a large area and see what comes back. If 
you use a fairly short wavelength you might be able to resolve images of 
what's under the ground. Short wavelength microwaves would probably be 
needed to detect a chondrite because long wavelengths would probably not 
couple to the metal very well and be reflected. An iron however should show 
up quite easily. The only problem with short wavelengths is that they are 
absorbed pretty quickly by water so they would have trouble penetrating wet 
ground. It would work great in a sandy desert though I'm sure.

Just a thought

Graham
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Graham Christensen
voltage at telus.net
http://www.geocities.com/aerolitehunter
msn messenger: majorvoltage at hotmail.com

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Maria Haas" <dragonsoup at msn.com>
To: <Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Cc: <voltage at telus.net>
Sent: Sunday, April 10, 2005 10:05 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] What great hobby!!


> Graham Christensen Wrote:
>>btw, I went meteorite hunting today for the first time in a couple years! 
>>And I found...*drumroll*...scrap metal!
>>Graham
>
>
> Maria Sheepishly Adds:
> I am so desperate to find "something" walking fields every single day 
> looking for meteorites that I have started to fill my rock bag with scrap 
> pieces of metal, miscellaneous junk, gum wrappers, fast food containers 
> and the occasional bolt, screw and nail. While I may not be ridding the 
> world of those pesky meteorites laying everywhere, I am providing some job 
> security to our garbage collection service employees. (Of course I look 
> the metal stuff over really carefully one more time just in case space 
> rocks could actually weather to look like one of those rusted old metal 
> pop lids.) Sick.
>
>
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