Meteorite Hunting Tools
This page will be updated very soon.
When hunting meteorites, there are a few tools that you might want to take along with you on each hunt. These tools are; Rare Earth Magnets (Neodymium), a Good Metal Detector, a good digging tool, and a GPS (global positioning system), and a keen eye for meteorites.
When you find a suspect meteorite get the GPS location and if possible take a photo "in situ" with the GPS device in the photo, along with something to use as a scale. When getting a meteorite classified it is very important to have the exact GPS location.
You also need to know what a meteorite looks like, one of the best ways to do this is for you to read books about meteorites and meteorite hunting. Another good way to learn about meteorites is by looking at many hundreds of meteorite photos and also many meteorwrong photos, this will give you a good idea of what to look for while out hunting. You may want to buy a few different types and different levels of weathering, this will help you know exactly what to look for. The best thing is experience ,there is no substitute, you can read all the book out there, look at all the photos of meteorites and you will still not have any hunting experience, the more you hunt the better you will get.
Don't throw a meteorite away, keep all of your possible meteorites and double and sometimes triple check them before throwing them out. One of the best ways to do this is to cut them and polish the surface, or you can grind a window into them then polish it with sandpaper. This will give you an idea of the the matrix is and you will have a much better chance of telling if it is a meteorite or another good meteorwrong.
The meteorite hunting equipment that I use is; The Minelab XTerra-70 for my a metal detector, neodymium rare earth magnets (on cane, on a pick, and loose), and a Magellan eXplorist200 as my GPS device. These work very well for me. I also use a 1cm scale cube for "in situ" photos in the field and also for showing my collection. I also have a variety of small shovels.
You can get a great deal on metal detectors and magnets just by clicking on the following links: Rare Earth Magnets and Metal Detectors. These are two places that I recommend going to, I have used them multiple times and I know others who have used both sources and are very happy with the service they received. They both have great customer service and are friendly.
Meteorite Cane
This is one of my all time favorite meteorite hunting tools. I made this by using 2 N50 (the strongest grade available) 1" disk Neodymium (Rare Earth) Magnets. I used the handle off of an old golf club and cut off the head, then I inserted a bent screwdriver into the hole that was made from cutting the head off. I then seal it epoxy. I put tape around the magnet so that it does not chip or break. These are very strong magnets and will snap against a piece of iron with enough force to break it or chip it. In the photo it is picking up a 1024g Campo with ease. It will pick up and hold all meteorites medium or small sized meteorites.
