Good Australian site for meteorites .

[Outback]

That's an awesome test Outback! Very hard to tell by the inexperienced. I would have chosen as the others did for sure! Why would we hand over anything to the government? I think they tax us enough and keep enough from us all. If in WA and lucky enough to find a meteorite, I say what meteorite??
Thanks again Outback :Y:

Thanks 'pleased you enjoyed it
Most states have laws banning the collecting of meteorites , this has wrecked the science regarding where they were found as most will have a re-birth somewhere else .
A meteorite is just a rock until it's been classified as one

jack

 

[Outback]

Very intweresting Outback, I will certainly be looking at lumps of ironstone with a different perspective from now on. How is the best way to identify a meteorite in the field? Or should suspect rocks always be brought home for further investigation?

Hi Heatho ,
First off I use a golf club that's had the blade cut off & a strong rare earth magnet glued on the end , almost all meteorites are magnetic so using the club allows me to touch rocks without having to bend down .
I hunt in places that has few dark coloured rocks & check out any possible looking ones , I'll then take some back to the vehicle & use a diamond file to have a quick look under the surface .

Pic of spot we went looking for them :


jack .

 

[B5MECH]

Very intweresting Outback, I will certainly be looking at lumps of ironstone with a different perspective from now on. How is the best way to identify a meteorite in the field? Or should suspect rocks always be brought home for further investigation?

Hi Heatho ,
First off I use a golf club that's had the blade cut off & a strong rare earth magnet glued on the end , almost all meteorites are magnetic so using the club allows me to touch rocks without having to bend down .
I hunt in places that has few dark coloured rocks & check out any possible looking ones , I'll then take some back to the vehicle & use a diamond file to have a quick look under the surface .

Pic of spot we went looking for them :
http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/r485/Bingo391/SANY0002-1.jpg

jack .

Cool pick Outback looks like the middle of nowhere
Are the meteorites more magnetic than the ironstone? or are you taking anything magnetic for later testing?

 

[Outback]

Cool pick Outback looks like the middle of nowhere
Are the meteorites more magnetic than the ironstone? or are you taking anything magnetic for later testing?

Yes meteorites are mostly more easy to identify from there magnetic strength , but that can be from weak to strong , they are also show degrees of weathering depending where they fell on earth .
In a dry desert it slows down , some on the coast only last a couple of hundred years depending on size & type . Iron ones last the longest .

Meteorites from the moon & Mars are not magnetic , they are so much more valuable then gold per gram .

jack

 

[Outback]

Pic of a mate using a magnet on the end of his small pick , taken back a few years ago in winter ' best time to hunt :lol:

 

[Outback]

You get to see another stuff when specking for meteorites

 

[Heatho]

Great thread Jack. Is it possible to use a metal detector to hunt the metallic metorites?

 

[Moneybox]

We've collected a few hot rocks. They are very heavy and will jump off the ground to the magnet and hang on like a lump of steel. I guess it might pay to take a file to them to see the inside

 

[Moneybox]

You get to see another stuff when specking for meteorites

http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/r485/Bingo391/SANY0002.jpg

I want to run my metal detector over this little patch and i'm not looking for meteorites.

 

[Outback]

Great thread Jack. Is it possible to use a metal detector to hunt the metallic metorites?

Thanks Heatho

Yes metal detectors will signal on most meteorites , the Yanks use them a lot as their known strewn fields have been visually hunted out .
Here in Australia we are lucky to just use our eyes still .

jack .