[meteorite-list] 2 new Nevada meteorites / Cold finds/ Statistics

[wahlperry at aol.com]

Hi,

I recently found two more new Nevada meteorites! Have you ever wondered 
how many hours and field work it takes to find a new meteorite? On the 
2 new finds I have recorded the time spent in field, driving time and 
research time. My own thoughts, buy them on ebay or from a dealer! Just 
teasing! There is nothing better than walking up on a new cold find, 
versus a find in a known area that may be paired to other finds. The 
first new meteorite only took seven days to find, 8 hour days on the 
average not counting drive time or over night camping in the area. 
Something to mention also, 10 - 12 trips to different areas or old 
strewn fields to break up the monotony. Ok , 56 hours not bad for a new 
find! Not counting driving time and research time ! One more thing to 
mention...(The Bush factor ,fuel prices!). Total time for the first 
find around 100 hours . Where there is one meteorite there should be 
more. It also depends on how much time you wish to spend in an area 
before you move on. I will try to spend a few hours looking for more 
pieces with a detector but the true amount of time it takes could be 
several days to weeks . My second new find only took 35 minutes to find 
once I started walking . Drive time was a killer on this one, many 
hours driving to find this one. While driving to another hunting area I 
noticed this area from a distance that looked good . You have to 
understand all areas look good until you get out there. There are a few 
problems including fences, basalt's, closed areas, private land and 
roads that look hard packed until you drive on them and your vehicle 
sinks to the frame! Talking about barbed wire fences, a friend and I 
were hunting out of state when we noticed a dry lake bed that looked 
good. We had to climb over a barbed wire fence next to a train track. 
After hunting the lake with no luck we decided to head back to the 
rental car. We looked for a gate but could not find one,and decided to 
climb over the fence. My hunting partner said this was not a good idea 
but decided to climb over the fence with a little coaxing. At that 
moment a train turned the corner and started blowing it's whistle when 
it saw us. I asked my hunting partner if he needed help to get over the 
fence and he said no. By this time the train was getting louder and 
closer. I decided to get off the tracks. I don't know what was louder 
the train whistle or my friends pants tearing on the fence! You had to 
be there!

On my second new find, actual hunting time was 35 minutes before 
locating the meteorite. I spent 7 additional hours looking for more in 
the area plus my driving time. You have to wonder why we do this hobby? 
I enjoy the adventure and you never know what the next meteorite might 
be! I have posted a few pictures on my web page on the new Nevada 
meteorites.

Sonny

http://www.nevadameteorites.com/page_4_2008_finds.htm