Hello PA,
First post here, so a bit of a context too.
I'm embarking on a project to find Australian meteorites on a wide scale - meaning, a few square km. I don't actually intend to be there in person, it's to be automated. I'm not doing this entirely on my own, and I have some significant support from knowledgeable people, however I think it's wise to diversify information sources and besides, my sources really don't engage too much in actual meteorite finding.
I'll probably have a few questions that people in this forum might be able to help me with, but at this point I'd like to get community advice on meteorite detection methods. I know a significant number of meteorites are found by eyeballing the ground, while that's helpful, I need to explore additional methods.
Straight up, I've seen mention of metal detectors and magnetometers, though these come with their limitations in that the meteorite has to be in a suitable condition to be inductive AND magnetic (or at least, ferric). If this is the case, what KINDS of metal detectors are used by the community (i.e. how big, brands, etc.)? What kinds of tradeoffs do individuals make when choosing such a tool for meteorite-finding? (size, weight, sensitivity, power, sensitivity, etc. etc. ). Are there very significant problems with contamination by false positives with these tools? What kinds of speeds do people achieve using them?
Apologies for the barrage of questions, please let me know if anyone might be willing/able to give me a little guidance here.
Cheers.
E.
