[meteorite-list] New meteorite hunt?

[ensoramanda]

Hi All,

Last week I was contacted by a landowner in the UK who has an elderly 
uncle with an interesting story.  He seems like a typical farmer who 
went about his daily chores each day all through his life without any 
wish for outsiders intruding on his land or in his business. He gives an 
account of being out shooting one day near Christmas in the mid 
sixties...he cannot remember the exact date. As a farmer each day was 
much the same as any other. The light was fading at the end of the 
afternoon when he heard a whooshing noise and there was a large bang and 
a thud a few yards from him in the field which shocked him and nearly 
knocked him off his feet.  He was frightened and did not investigate it 
immediately as he was on his way home and the light was fading rapidly.  
He says he did return the next day and found an almost vertical hole in 
the field. He could see down to the bottom where there appeared to be a 
dark football sized lump and he could reach down and touch it.

He thought it may be a meteorite at the time but never followed it up or 
tried to extract it...and seems he never really discussed it with many 
others. Only recently has he retold the story to his nephew and son.

I feel that this is a promising story. As a farmer back then it is 
unlikely he would make up a story that fitted what really happens in a 
meteorite fall. Most made up stories involve seeing bright fireballs 
hitting the ground when they have little knowledge of such things.

The other possibility which fascinates me is that this possible fall is 
almost diectly in line with the Barwell strewnfield/fireball path but a 
lot further down the line and the time matches well...1965, christmas 
eve at the end of the afternoon...4.20pm. (There are reports of Barwell 
being one of 3 diverging fireballs...I used to have a diagram of their 
reported paths...but cant seem to find that now :-( ...anyone else have 
similar?)  Although I would have thought he would have remembered it was 
Christmas eve. He did say though that he had heard of another meteorite 
fall on the news around about the same time...but he thought that was in 
the USA!  A new British meteorite would be good though.

They think they have identified the area it fell in down to a hundred 
yards or so and I have visited the house and given as much advice as 
possible. We buried a large chondrite down to about 2ft in similar 
ground...apparently ...but I think they are going to struggle to find it 
at that depth. The signals were not that consistent with my Whites M6. 
Although I know that in theory disturbed ground would disrupt the 
signal...so perhaps it may show up better than our tests indicate.

They wish to try and find it themselves and are rather secretive about 
the exact location and so I now I think have to leave them to it for a 
while to try and find it. If they have no luck then I might get a chance 
to have a go...they say they will keep me informed. They have borrowed 
my detector and I seem to have struck up a good relationship with 
them...so we will see! After many years in our climate it may well be 
disintegrated anyway.

Frustrating really! ...but quite exciting.

This may never come to anything...but I feel I have to follow it up and 
would be grateful for any other advice.
I was wondering if the experienced hunters out there had some extra 
advice?  I know that iron meteorites will give a good signal...but what 
about chondrites...this would be an L6 if it is paired with Barwell..but 
could be anything.

What other methods or equipment might penetrate more to that 
depth...without spending a fortune!! Is it possible to distinguish more 
between hot rocks and meteorites when detecting etc etc?


I wish I was out there now , digging with anticipation!

Yours hopefully,

Graham Ensor.