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

[Gary K. Foote]

Thank you Rob - especially for the safety reminders.  Time to widen my Christmas wish 
list a bit.  Need a GPS.

Gary

On 18 Dec 2005 at 20:43, Rob Matson wrote:

> 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
> 
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