List: I use a magnet cane - in fact it it super strong. But I must point out that I do not rely on it. I use my eyes mostly. I look for the rock shape, texture and color. I think the shape is very important. I check if it is smooth and that the edges are rounded - like a partly polished rock. It is bad to depend on a magnet for a number of reasons (as Rob pointed out) also if the rock is embedded in a hard clay, a magnet will not pick it up if it's an LL or an old weathered L or even H. I have found meteorites like this - some I had to remove from the clay to test how magnetic it was. So as Rob points out - Your eyes are the best tool you have. Now as to the reason I like a super stonge magnet is in case I find an achondrite. I have bought some and often they stick weakly to a magnet - well if I see an odd smooth looking rock that's a little out od place, I'll check it with my magnet to see if it sticks slightly... believe me I have a lot of iron rich basalt and silicas with magnetite in them in my garage, but I think it's worth it. Now if it's something that has no magnetism (R-chondrite) then I have to rely on the eyes again.
I metal detector is good in places with many many rocks or the meteorites are buried - Franconia and Gold Basin. It's funny, But I actually think most of my dry lake finds were found with my eyes and not the magnet cane, but I think the more tools you have the better - you just need to learn how to use them in the best ways. Greg S. ---------------------------------------- > Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:10:10 -0700 > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Subject: [meteorite-list] Magnet canes are evil > > Mark wrote: > > > As soon as everyone stops using metal detectors and magnet canes > > to look for meteorites then the first Lunars in Europe or USA > > will eventually be found, .... until then! > > I have never used a magnet cane, nor will I ever, and I always > advise new hunters against their use. A magnet cane is basically > an H-, L-, iron, and stony-iron filter. I sometimes carry an LL6 > with me to the desert on the off-chance I'll run into someone using > a magnet cane. That usually "cures" them. ;-) > > --Rob > ______________________________________________ > Visit the Archives at > http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html > Meteorite-list mailing list > [email protected] > http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list ______________________________________________ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list [email protected] http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
