[meteorite-list] Roy's Book "Meteorite Hunter"

[Notkin]

Dear Listees:

Hello again, last one for tonight.

Since we were on the topic, and since the August, 2002 issue of 
"Meteorite" is long out-of-print, I pulled the review of "Meteorite 
Hunter" from my archives and post it here for those who might not be 
familiar with the book. It's a great read, especially the adventures at 
Sikhote-Alin, Chinga, and Tunguska, and is pretty easy to get hold of.

Geoff N.


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Meteorite Hunter: The Search for Siberian Meteorite Craters
Roy A. Gallant
McGraw-Hill London
2002, 237 pp. ISBN 0-07-137224-5

 
Veteran "Meteorite" magazine readers will already be familiar with the 
work of author, astronomer, and adventurer Roy A. Gallant — often 
described as “The Indiana Jones of Astronomy.” A frequent contributor 
since the magazine’s inception, Roy’s account of his journey to 
Tunguska was the cover story for the very first issue in 1995. With 
back issues of the magazine now largely out-of-print and sought-after 
by collectors, Roy’s latest book: "Meteorite Hunter: The Search for 
Siberian Meteorite Craters," is a welcome arrival. Its eight chapters 
consist, in large part, of expanded versions of Roy’s previously 
published articles.

A consummate writer/adventurer, Roy ranges across the magnificent 
expanse of Siberia, examining vast impact craters and forgotten strewn 
fields, pulling iron meteorites out of freezing mountain streams, and 
peppering it all with his observations of, and commentary upon, the 
land, its people, and its history. I was lucky enough to participate in 
Roy’s 1999 expedition to the Pogigai crater in Siberia (recounted in 
Chapter 6), and observed his enthusiasm and relentless energy first 
hand — two traits with which his writing is infused.

The colorful characters who accompany Roy on his missions: Chief of 
Staff and translator Katya Rossovskaya, and eminent Russian astronomer 
and meteorite hunter Valentin Tsvetkov, for example, are well 
described. Along with them, we encounter a cavalcade of wandering 
geologists, Russian soldiers, hardened farmers and loggers eking out a 
living on the Tundra, nomadic Tungus who still relate folk tales of the 
1908 explosion, a voracious dog named Bill Clinton, and the Mayor of 
Kulcheck who is astonished by the arrival of an American in “his 
territory” — the first such visitor in living memory.

Roy works details of rural life into the stories, but also finds time 
to comment upon Chekhov, Pliny, physicist Ernst Chladni, and where to 
get the best deal on red caviar. However, it’s in the descriptions of 
the actual hunt that the book really shines. During arduous forays to 
Chinge, Sikhote-Alin, Tsarev, and other sites, a combination of good 
research, luck, and perseverance pays off with some impressive 
meteorite finds, but harsh weather, wild animals, and rough terrain 
must be dealt with, as well as other unexpected encounters:

 
“ ‘This has to be the end of the world,’ I say to Katya as I climb down 
onto our damp oasis. ‘I want to see the tiger,’ she says peering 
through the trees. Moments later we are greeted by a Russian man and 
woman who are startled to see us. The night before, Alexander told us 
that a party of seven meteorite ‘pirates’ was at the site 
[Sikhote-Alin] and had been there for three weeks. The woman cook 
quickly begins banging on an anvil that resounds through the forest. 
One by one, the other ‘pirates’ appear and eye us silently and 
suspiciously. They are dressed mostly in military garb, and each 
carries a heavy and cumbersome metal detector.”

 
A discussion of advances in the understanding of strewn fields — 
through the work of Krinov and Tsvetkov at Sikhote-Alin — will be of 
interest to the specialist, while an introduction to the main types of 
meteorites is illuminating for the casual reader. Fellow adventurers, 
as well as those who prefer the comfort of their homes to the buzz of 
angry Siberian mosquitoes, will enjoy this fine addition to both the 
literature of meteorite history, and adventure travel.

 
Geoffrey Notkin

This article is © 2002 by Meteorite Magazine and Pallasite Press, New 
Zealand