[meteorite-list] Wisconsin meteorite trip report

[wahlperry at aol.com]

Hi all,

I just returned home from my 3rd trip to the WI  strewnfield.  The 
remaining fields have been planted and the corn is starting to grow. 
The no- till fields you can still walk but will soon have vegetation 
covering the ground. Many of the hay fields have been cut. The beef 
cattle are calving, making access tough . We were able to locate 
numerous witnesses to the fireball East of Highway 23. The eye 
witnesses were at different sides of the fireball and two directly 
underneath  the explosions. Two miles West of this location I also 
talked with a land owner that saw the fireball explode overhead. The 
information placed the fireball on one of our direct lines and under 
the doppler returns. The farmers reported hearing "the sound of a jet 
overhead " followed by a suction sound as the meteorite passed overhead 
as the ground rumbled.

The land owners granted us unlimited access to this 2 square mile area. 
Part of the field was freshly cut hay followed by a large no till field 
.  We spent many hours walking this area with no luck. As with the West 
Texas Fall many of the meteorites that landed on the worked fields 
buried themselves into the soil. Many of the meteorite hunters were 
able to recover meteorites by  placing a magnet cane into the holes in 
the soil.  The Wisconsin strewfield has received 1-2 " of rain after 
the fireball and possible erased any hole that a meteorite may have 
made. The hay fields could still have meteorites on the surface but 
would be pushed into the soil from the hay cutter and then from the 
tractor that bails the hay. While walking the cut hay fields the larger 
rocks were still easy to see.

I would have to say along with many of the meteorite hunters still in 
the field, a large portion of  this fall will be lost due to 
cultivation and the location of  fall. My 3 meteorite hunting trips to 
Wisconsin were still a lot of fun and many new friends were made . I 
should have pictures and  a story up soon. On one of the days hunting I 
found a replacement for Brix , a calf that was born hours before. The 
calf followed me throughout the field staggering side to side as it 
gained strength. It was a great opportunity to take some photos of the 
young calf.


Sonny