[meteorite-list] Strange Happenings

[Adam Hupe]

Hi Guido, James and List,

Yes, I was thinking it was some sort of airfield but the lack of building ruins 
threw me off. I did find a ~20' crater on top of a small rise that punched 
through the desert pavement and left a raised rim. Perhaps the military presence 
in that area can explain this structure about two miles away from the abandoned 
airfield.   I did not find any shrapnel around it but some interesting rocks 
were excavated.  If I was a rock-hound, my backpack would have weighed over 200 
pounds. 


In any case, this area looks perfect for meteorite hunting at first glance but 
once your boots are on the ground the story changes. There are a lot of black 
magnetic rocks (magnetite) lying around everywhere mimicking meteorites while 
others have heavy desert varnish.  The desert pavement is very old and well 
developed so I am sure there are meteorites mixed in but a metal detector would 
not be of much use.  


I had a great time, met some very friendly people and got some much needed 
exercise. Perhaps one of these days, we will discover a cosmic landing strip 
(strewn-field) with meteorites lying around everywhere. Until then, we will 
continue the search and dream. 


Happy Hunting,

Adam