2nd day detecting, meteorite found?

[SniperNinja]

Hey everyone, I just got a Whites MXT Tracker E-Series 3 days ago, and while detecting in the woodchips at a local park, I found 2 strange rocks. The detector reads them as iron, and they pass all the tests as authentic meteorites! I am completely and utterly dumbfounded as to how 2 meteorites got in the woodchips in a park in Southern California. Any help is appreciated!

[Xiphos]

Post some pics please? Easier to identify what you have there with pics! And congrats to you if they are meteorites! Awesome find!

[SniperNinja]

Ok, I will get pics up as soon as possible. Also, my parents just bought a house from 1913, and I'm going to hunt there today, wish me luck!

[dmulk]

I'll bet $20 that you found slag from the blades of the wood chipping machine mixed in with the wood chips... =)

[Xiphos]

Good luck! by the way, what equipment are you using?

[Diggler]

Seems like everyone finds meteorwrongs on one of their first hunts... Pics will tell. Maybe you did.

[Dustyloins]

Originally Posted by Diggler

Seems like everyone finds meteorwrongs on one of their first hunts... Pics will tell. Maybe you did.

Yeah, they call 'em hot rocks around here......for some reason I tend to find them in small bunches.....

Dusty

[SniperNinja]

I'm using a Whites MXT Tracker E-Series with an Eclipse 950 coil, and a bullseye 120mm pinpointer.
And I really hope it's not a meteorwrong. And I found both of them in the same hole... Maybe somebody had them in their pockets and dropped them?

[Dustyloins]

Here's a pic of some of the one's a friend and I found last fall in AZ and NV......they are the "real deal" according to the "Rock Doc" at ASU here in town.....

Dusty

[xlogit3k]

Originally Posted by Dustyloins

Here's a pic of some of the one's a friend and I found last fall in AZ and NV......they are the "real deal" according to the "Rock Doc" at ASU here in town.....

Dusty

Woah those look quite cool. I didn't really know they were that shiny.

[Dustyloins]

Originally Posted by xlogit3k

Woah those look quite cool. I didn't really know they were that shiny.

Some are, after you clean them, depending on the type. Ya gotta keep them sprayed with WD-40 or in an airtight bag to keep them from rusting.....

Dusty

[xlogit3k]

Originally Posted by Dustyloins

Some are, after you clean them, depending on the type. Ya gotta keep them sprayed with WD-40 or in an airtight bag to keep them from rusting.....

Dusty

I have heard that meteorites are valuable, have you checked the price on those?

[Dustyloins]

The guy at the college said these types are not super rare......maybe $25-$50 each....

Dusty

[xlogit3k]

Originally Posted by Dustyloins

The guy at the college said these types are not super rare......maybe $25-$50 each....

Dusty

Hey that's still pretty cool, I would love to find some of those!

[Dustyloins]

I don't know the exact amount (I DON'T WANT to know the exact amount) we ended up spending on gasoline, motels, food, etc., but it was more than the value of the "rocks". It WAS one of the more interesting trips I have been on and we met some cool people, especially the "old prospector" types in AZ......they all had lost gold mine stories to tell us!!!

Dusty

[emfederin]

Originally Posted by Dustyloins

Here's a pic of some of the one's a friend and I found last fall in AZ and NV......they are the "real deal" according to the "Rock Doc" at ASU here in town.....
Dusty

They look kind of copperish - including the dime. So I "stole" the image and did a quick color correction in photoshop using the dime as a color guide, and the pieces went from looking like copper to looking like they may be pure nickel.

[scoundrel]

Originally Posted by SniperNinja

Hey everyone, I just got a Whites MXT Tracker E-Series 3 days ago, and while detecting in the woodchips at a local park, I found 2 strange rocks. The detector reads them as iron, and they pass all the tests as authentic meteorites! I am completely and utterly dumbfounded as to how 2 meteorites got in the woodchips in a park in Southern California. Any help is appreciated!

The only way to be 100% is a mass spectrometer test.

[SniperNinja]

What I meant was all the home tests. And I went to the 1913 house, all i found was junk except for 3 clad pennies, 1 .44 Winchester shell, and 1 brass Winchester 12 gauge shell.

[Pasttom]

The fun part here is finding interesting things. Not likely one will find enough valuable stuff to cover the cost of equipment and travel expenses- though some do.

Meteorites are way cool. They can be found anywhere, but are not likely to be found. Most of us would never recognize one and only a genuine expert can reliably identify one. If you think you really have found some, by all means have it checked out. An expert will know relative values or you can look it up if you know exactly what type and size meteorite you have.

Shotgun shells are an interesting collectable of much lessor value. I have found several that predate the houses where they were found by 25 years or more. Once you can read the print on the bottom of the brass google it and you should find information on its mfg dates and collectability value.

The longer you hunt the better you will get at finding interesting things and the more everything will make sense to you.
Happy hunting!

[CopperMike]

I have read that most all meteorites have some nickel in them as well as iron, and that most iron slag does not have any nickel. Is this true?