32.1g Wisconsin Meteorite

[meteoritesusa]

32.1g meteorite from the Wisconsin fireball/meteorite fall that happened over Livingston, WI on April 14th 2010. I found this stone on the 9th day of my hunt in WI. It's a 100% fully fusion crusted perfectly flight oriented "nose cone" meteorite!

Eric

[GioTheGreek]

Wow great find man.

Is the final photo a shot of where you found it in its original state?

Congrats!

[meteoritesusa]

Wow great find man.

Is the final photo a shot of where you found it in its original state?

Congrats!

Thanks! Yes, the last photo is the "in situ" photo as found.

[strickman]

nice find !!!!!!!!

[Bum Luck]

Great find!

How many hours do you have into hunting the area?

[desertfox]

Congrats on a extremely nice find! I just sent a friend a 12 oz one I found in Gold Basin, AZ. about 15 years ago. I sent him the smaller of the 3 I had found over a period of 5 years hunting for them.

HH
Desertfox

[meteoritesusa]

Great find!

How many hours do you have into hunting the area?

It's interesting you should ask that. During the now famous WI Meteorite Fall and subsequent meteorite hunt, meteorite hunters spent more than 8 hours per day in the field hunting for the elusive WI Meteorite. Most hunters spent 4-5 days in the field so some quick math will tell you that hunters spent 32-40 hours of time hunting in the fields of WI.

Many hunters are more hardcore, and spent 7-10 days in the field, or 56-80 hours.

Then you have the meteorite addicts, crazy hunters who hunted for more than 10 days, or came back to WI multiple times. They spent on average 2 weeks in the field (14 days total) 112 hours.

Many hunters found no meteorites. Few of the hunters that made it to WI, actually went home with meteorites.

I spent 16 days straight in the field, I took 2 half days off driving around scouting and chatting with the locals. The other time I was in the field hunting. All total I spent over 120 hours hunting in the fields of WI to find 4 meteorites totaling 100.1 grams in weight. That's 1 meteorite every 30 hours, or 3.75 days of hunting.

Distance Traveled
Speed: Average 2 MPH (walking)
Miles Walked: 240 miles (120 hours X 2 MPH)

This all sounds impressive, but what people don't realize is that some hunters went 5-9 days hunting before "getting into them". You had to find the right area. Meteorites fall in clusters, and if you're fortunate enough to find a cluster, you keep your mouth shut and work it for a while.

I didn't find my first WI Meteorite until 3 hours into my 5th day of hunting. Which by the way, I wrote about my hunting trip to the WI Meteorite Hunt in my new meteorite hunting and collecting magazine, the article is titled "The Great Wisconsin Meteorite Fall & Strewnfield" if anyone is interested.

So my question to you is....

Would you walk 120 hours or 240 miles, to find 4 meteorites?

I did!

Think that's something? Naaaa.... I have a friend that's even crazier than me. He walked for 10 days and found only one 30gram WI Meteorite. Now that's dedication!

Regards,
Eric

I've attached a couple more photos of some of my WI meteorite finds, and provided a link to the map of the strewnfield.

WI Meteorite Strewnfield Map: http://www.meteoritesusa.com/meteori...rewnfield-map/

Enjoy...

[ANTIQUARIAN]

"Then you have the meteorite addicts, crazy hunters who hunted for more than 10 days, or came back to WI multiple times."

Do these guys hunt with metal detectors or with the naked eye? I would have thought these things would bury themselves in the ground upon impact . . . I'm I wrong in this assumption?
Thanks for your help with this meteoritesusa
Dave

[meteoritesusa]

"Then you have the meteorite addicts, crazy hunters who hunted for more than 10 days, or came back to WI multiple times."

Do these guys hunt with metal detectors or with the naked eye? I would have thought these things would bury themselves in the ground upon impact . . . I'm I wrong in this assumption?
Thanks for your help with this meteoritesusa
Dave

Hey Dave, No detectors needed on a "new fall" (what meteorite hunters call a fresh meteorite fall). Read my article titled "What is a Meteorite Strewnfield" http://www.meteoritesusa.com/meteori...e-strewnfield/

When a "meteoroid" (what it's called in space) enters Earth's atmosphere it's traveling at cosmic velocity of 10,000-25,000 MPH or more. This creates massive amounts of pressure. The air molecules can't get out of the way faster enough, and the air in front of the meteoroid heats up (picture a "fire piston" fire starting tool) and the body slows down considerably. The air acts as a braking mechanism. The fiery ball of light that is a "meteor" will slow until it's not longer generating the energy needed to be incandescent and it blinks out. (entering Dark Flight; Altitude: 10K-50K ft) At which point it's moving at terminal velocity which is only about 200-300 MPH. You can imagine a smaller pebble sized meteorite hitting the ground at that relatively slow speed. The stone will actually bounce and most probably stay intact. A larger stone may bury itself in softer soil, or go through a roof, but most times they either land with a little bounce, or a thud.

The only time you might need a detector on a new meteorite fall, is when a meteorite falls in tall grass, or any other area where obstacles obstruct your view of the ground.

Older meteorite strewnfields, where meteorites have been on the ground for years, decades, centuries or even millenia, you MIGHT need a detector, depending on the type of ground. Areas which are prone to erosion will bury meteorites, or destroy them over time. Very geologically active ground will bury meteorites sometimes up to 5-10 feet under soil. Out of reach of all but the finest detector systems.

So that was the long answer. The short answer is, it depends. Are you hunting NEW or OLD meteorites? You should adjust your technique accordingly.

Eric

[ANTIQUARIAN]

"Then you have the meteorite addicts, crazy hunters who hunted for more than 10 days, or came back to WI multiple times."

Do these guys hunt with metal detectors or with the naked eye? I would have thought these things would bury themselves in the ground upon impact . . . I'm I wrong in this assumption?
Thanks for your help with this meteoritesusa
Dave

Hey Dave, No detectors needed on a "new fall" (what meteorite hunters call a fresh meteorite fall). Read my article titled "What is a Meteorite Strewnfield" http://www.meteoritesusa.com/meteori...e-strewnfield/

When a "meteoroid" (what it's called in space) enters Earth's atmosphere it's traveling at cosmic velocity of 10,000-25,000 MPH or more. This creates massive amounts of pressure. The air molecules can't get out of the way faster enough, and the air in front of the meteoroid heats up (picture a "fire piston" fire starting tool) and the body slows down considerably. The air acts as a braking mechanism. The fiery ball of light that is a "meteor" will slow until it's not longer generating the energy needed to be incandescent and it blinks out. (entering Dark Flight; Altitude: 10K-50K ft) At which point it's moving at terminal velocity which is only about 200-300 MPH. You can imagine a smaller pebble sized meteorite hitting the ground at that relatively slow speed. The stone will actually bounce and most probably stay intact. A larger stone may bury itself in softer soil, or go through a roof, but most times they either land with a little bounce, or a thud.

The only time you might need a detector on a new meteorite fall, is when a meteorite falls in tall grass, or any other area where obstacles obstruct your view of the ground.

Older meteorite strewnfields, where meteorites have been on the ground for years, decades, centuries or even millenia, you MIGHT need a detector, depending on the type of ground. Areas which are prone to erosion will bury meteorites, or destroy them over time. Very geologically active ground will bury meteorites sometimes up to 5-10 feet under soil. Out of reach of all but the finest detector systems.

So that was the long answer. The short answer is, it depends. Are you hunting NEW or OLD meteorites? You should adjust your technique accordingly.

Eric

Thanks very much for the information Eric, I really enjoyed reading it. I've saved your website artical in my "favourites" on my computer for later reading.

Best of luck in your future hunts!
Dave

[CRUSADER]

"Then you have the meteorite addicts, crazy hunters who hunted for more than 10 days, or came back to WI multiple times."

Do these guys hunt with metal detectors or with the naked eye? I would have thought these things would bury themselves in the ground upon impact . . . I'm I wrong in this assumption?
Thanks for your help with this meteoritesusa
Dave

Hey Dave, No detectors needed on a "new fall" (what meteorite hunters call a fresh meteorite fall). Read my article titled "What is a Meteorite Strewnfield" http://www.meteoritesusa.com/meteori...e-strewnfield/

When a "meteoroid" (what it's called in space) enters Earth's atmosphere it's traveling at cosmic velocity of 10,000-25,000 MPH or more. This creates massive amounts of pressure. The air molecules can't get out of the way faster enough, and the air in front of the meteoroid heats up (picture a "fire piston" fire starting tool) and the body slows down considerably. The air acts as a braking mechanism. The fiery ball of light that is a "meteor" will slow until it's not longer generating the energy needed to be incandescent and it blinks out. (entering Dark Flight; Altitude: 10K-50K ft) At which point it's moving at terminal velocity which is only about 200-300 MPH. You can imagine a smaller pebble sized meteorite hitting the ground at that relatively slow speed. The stone will actually bounce and most probably stay intact. A larger stone may bury itself in softer soil, or go through a roof, but most times they either land with a little bounce, or a thud.

The only time you might need a detector on a new meteorite fall, is when a meteorite falls in tall grass, or any other area where obstacles obstruct your view of the ground.

Older meteorite strewnfields, where meteorites have been on the ground for years, decades, centuries or even millenia, you MIGHT need a detector, depending on the type of ground. Areas which are prone to erosion will bury meteorites, or destroy them over time. Very geologically active ground will bury meteorites sometimes up to 5-10 feet under soil. Out of reach of all but the finest detector systems.

So that was the long answer. The short answer is, it depends. Are you hunting NEW or OLD meteorites? You should adjust your technique accordingly.

Eric

that answered my question, as well

[Diggin-N-Dumps]

Cool Stuff...Just seeing this post has educated me in this area of hunting i never knew...Thanks

[Deepdiger60]

Great find!

How many hours do you have into hunting the area?

It's interesting you should ask that. During the now famous WI Meteorite Fall and subsequent meteorite hunt, meteorite hunters spent more than 8 hours per day in the field hunting for the elusive WI Meteorite. Most hunters spent 4-5 days in the field so some quick math will tell you that hunters spent 32-40 hours of time hunting in the fields of WI.

Many hunters are more hardcore, and spent 7-10 days in the field, or 56-80 hours.

Then you have the meteorite addicts, crazy hunters who hunted for more than 10 days, or came back to WI multiple times. They spent on average 2 weeks in the field (14 days total) 112 hours.

Many hunters found no meteorites. Few of the hunters that made it to WI, actually went home with meteorites.

I spent 16 days straight in the field, I took 2 half days off driving around scouting and chatting with the locals. The other time I was in the field hunting. All total I spent over 120 hours hunting in the fields of WI to find 4 meteorites totaling 100.1 grams in weight. That's 1 meteorite every 30 hours, or 3.75 days of hunting.

Distance Traveled
Speed: Average 2 MPH (walking)
Miles Walked: 240 miles (120 hours X 2 MPH)

This all sounds impressive, but what people don't realize is that some hunters went 5-9 days hunting before "getting into them". You had to find the right area. Meteorites fall in clusters, and if you're fortunate enough to find a cluster, you keep your mouth shut and work it for a while.

I didn't find my first WI Meteorite until 3 hours into my 5th day of hunting. Which by the way, I wrote about my hunting trip to the WI Meteorite Hunt in my new meteorite hunting and collecting magazine, the article is titled "The Great Wisconsin Meteorite Fall & Strewnfield" if anyone is interested.

So my question to you is....

Would you walk 120 hours or 240 miles, to find 4 meteorites?

I did!

Think that's something? Naaaa.... I have a friend that's even crazier than me. He walked for 10 days and found only one 30gram WI Meteorite. Now that's dedication!

Regards,
Eric

I've attached a couple more photos of some of my WI meteorite finds, and provided a link to the map of the strewnfield.

WI Meteorite Strewnfield Map: http://www.meteoritesusa.com/meteori...rewnfield-map/

Enjoy...

"Then you have the meteorite addicts, crazy hunters who hunted for more than 10 days, or came back to WI multiple times."

Do these guys hunt with metal detectors or with the naked eye? I would have thought these things would bury themselves in the ground upon impact . . . I'm I wrong in this assumption?
Thanks for your help with this meteoritesusa
Dave

Hey Dave, No detectors needed on a "new fall" (what meteorite hunters call a fresh meteorite fall). Read my article titled "What is a Meteorite Strewnfield" http://www.meteoritesusa.com/meteori...e-strewnfield/

When a "meteoroid" (what it's called in space) enters Earth's atmosphere it's traveling at cosmic velocity of 10,000-25,000 MPH or more. This creates massive amounts of pressure. The air molecules can't get out of the way faster enough, and the air in front of the meteoroid heats up (picture a "fire piston" fire starting tool) and the body slows down considerably. The air acts as a braking mechanism. The fiery ball of light that is a "meteor" will slow until it's not longer generating the energy needed to be incandescent and it blinks out. (entering Dark Flight; Altitude: 10K-50K ft) At which point it's moving at terminal velocity which is only about 200-300 MPH. You can imagine a smaller pebble sized meteorite hitting the ground at that relatively slow speed. The stone will actually bounce and most probably stay intact. A larger stone may bury itself in softer soil, or go through a roof, but most times they either land with a little bounce, or a thud.

The only time you might need a detector on a new meteorite fall, is when a meteorite falls in tall grass, or any other area where obstacles obstruct your view of the ground.

Older meteorite strewnfields, where meteorites have been on the ground for years, decades, centuries or even millenia, you MIGHT need a detector, depending on the type of ground. Areas which are prone to erosion will bury meteorites, or destroy them over time. Very geologically active ground will bury meteorites sometimes up to 5-10 feet under soil. Out of reach of all but the finest detector systems.

So that was the long answer. The short answer is, it depends. Are you hunting NEW or OLD meteorites? You should adjust your technique accordingly.

Eric

Interesting facts , i would assume then a Asteroid the size of a city block traveling at 25,000 MPH when it enters Earth atmosphere would not slow down due to its size and mass ? and even if it did it probably would not matter anyway ?

[Tuberale]

Great find!

How many hours do you have into hunting the area?

It's interesting you should ask that. During the now famous WI Meteorite Fall and subsequent meteorite hunt, meteorite hunters spent more than 8 hours per day in the field hunting for the elusive WI Meteorite. Most hunters spent 4-5 days in the field so some quick math will tell you that hunters spent 32-40 hours of time hunting in the fields of WI.

Many hunters are more hardcore, and spent 7-10 days in the field, or 56-80 hours.

Then you have the meteorite addicts, crazy hunters who hunted for more than 10 days, or came back to WI multiple times. They spent on average 2 weeks in the field (14 days total) 112 hours.

Many hunters found no meteorites. Few of the hunters that made it to WI, actually went home with meteorites.

I spent 16 days straight in the field, I took 2 half days off driving around scouting and chatting with the locals. The other time I was in the field hunting. All total I spent over 120 hours hunting in the fields of WI to find 4 meteorites totaling 100.1 grams in weight. That's 1 meteorite every 30 hours, or 3.75 days of hunting.

Distance Traveled
Speed: Average 2 MPH (walking)
Miles Walked: 240 miles (120 hours X 2 MPH)

This all sounds impressive, but what people don't realize is that some hunters went 5-9 days hunting before "getting into them". You had to find the right area. Meteorites fall in clusters, and if you're fortunate enough to find a cluster, you keep your mouth shut and work it for a while.

I didn't find my first WI Meteorite until 3 hours into my 5th day of hunting. Which by the way, I wrote about my hunting trip to the WI Meteorite Hunt in my new meteorite hunting and collecting magazine, the article is titled "The Great Wisconsin Meteorite Fall & Strewnfield" if anyone is interested.

So my question to you is....

Would you walk 120 hours or 240 miles, to find 4 meteorites?

I did!

Think that's something? Naaaa.... I have a friend that's even crazier than me. He walked for 10 days and found only one 30gram WI Meteorite. Now that's dedication!

Regards,
Eric

I've attached a couple more photos of some of my WI meteorite finds, and provided a link to the map of the strewnfield.

WI Meteorite Strewnfield Map: http://www.meteoritesusa.com/meteori...rewnfield-map/

Enjoy...

"Then you have the meteorite addicts, crazy hunters who hunted for more than 10 days, or came back to WI multiple times."

Do these guys hunt with metal detectors or with the naked eye? I would have thought these things would bury themselves in the ground upon impact . . . I'm I wrong in this assumption?
Thanks for your help with this meteoritesusa
Dave

Hey Dave, No detectors needed on a "new fall" (what meteorite hunters call a fresh meteorite fall). Read my article titled "What is a Meteorite Strewnfield" http://www.meteoritesusa.com/meteori...e-strewnfield/

When a "meteoroid" (what it's called in space) enters Earth's atmosphere it's traveling at cosmic velocity of 10,000-25,000 MPH or more. This creates massive amounts of pressure. The air molecules can't get out of the way faster enough, and the air in front of the meteoroid heats up (picture a "fire piston" fire starting tool) and the body slows down considerably. The air acts as a braking mechanism. The fiery ball of light that is a "meteor" will slow until it's not longer generating the energy needed to be incandescent and it blinks out. (entering Dark Flight; Altitude: 10K-50K ft) At which point it's moving at terminal velocity which is only about 200-300 MPH. You can imagine a smaller pebble sized meteorite hitting the ground at that relatively slow speed. The stone will actually bounce and most probably stay intact. A larger stone may bury itself in softer soil, or go through a roof, but most times they either land with a little bounce, or a thud.

The only time you might need a detector on a new meteorite fall, is when a meteorite falls in tall grass, or any other area where obstacles obstruct your view of the ground.

Older meteorite strewnfields, where meteorites have been on the ground for years, decades, centuries or even millenia, you MIGHT need a detector, depending on the type of ground. Areas which are prone to erosion will bury meteorites, or destroy them over time. Very geologically active ground will bury meteorites sometimes up to 5-10 feet under soil. Out of reach of all but the finest detector systems.

So that was the long answer. The short answer is, it depends. Are you hunting NEW or OLD meteorites? You should adjust your technique accordingly.

Eric

Interesting facts , i would assume then a Asteroid the size of a city block traveling at 25,000 MPH when it enters Earth atmosphere would not slow down due to its size and mass ? and even if it did it probably would not matter anyway ?

Almost all meteors slow down, much like a bullet striking a body of water will slow suddenly and considerably. Your asteroid example might slow down a lot or nearly not at all, depending on whether it is caught by the earth's gravitational field, or merely glances through it momentarily. Most meteors don't travel in a head-on collision course, rather they are sucked into the gravitational well, and this slows them down even further. The longer an object stays in the air, the slower will be the impact at striking the earth.

[romeo-1]

I live very close to one of the largest land craters on the earth...this post has tempted me to take the detector to the crater and have a poke around...unfortunately it is 20 km through the woods...

[meteoritesusa]

I live very close to one of the largest land craters on the earth...this post has tempted me to take the detector to the crater and have a poke around...unfortunately it is 20 km through the woods...

If you're truly interested in meteorite hunting, and want to know where to hunt, how to hunt, and how to identify meteorites, perhaps you may want to subscribe to my Meteorite Hunting & Collecting Magazine. The September issue is almost complete and will have some information specifically about impact craters, meteorite origins, and how professional meteorite hunters are using tools like Google Earth, Maps, Doppler Radar, and a number of other "high tech" tools to research, hunt, and recover meteorites. The digital edition is free to read, and the Print edition is very reasonably priced. http://www.mhcmagazine.com/ I invite you to subscribe to my magazine.

This Sept. issue will have updated information about the Mifflin meteorite strewnfield (what this thread is about and where I found 4 meteorites), photos of finds, doppler radar data, and maps of the strewnfield. In addition there are articles about a Texas man who found a meteorite in his back yard recently as well, complete with photos of his meteorite find. The November issue will concentrate on meteorite ID, hunting equipment, and meteorite hunting techniques. I'll also be including an updated and revised version of my "What is a Meteorite Strewnfield?" article to touch on craters and origins, and expand on how Google Earth is being used to map meteorite strewnfields for science.

Google Earth (GE) is a powerful tool, there has been an increase of meteorite impact craters discovered using GE for mapping, plotting and scanning the surface of the Earth for meteorite impact sites.

It is interesting to know that very few meteorite falls actually produce meteorite craters. Most meteorite falls create what meteorite hunters and scientists call "strewnfields" with small bits of material scattered about a large area.

Again, I hope my posts help you guys find more meteorites...

Enjoy...

Regards,
Eric

[Indianhead Jones]

Sweet, rare find!

I recall in the early '80's when I was just starting metal detecting, I found a few "funny rocks" that rang out on my detector, all of which I threw away....to this day I wonder if they could have been meteorites!

Larry G.

[meteoritesusa]

Sweet, rare find!

I recall in the early '80's when I was just starting metal detecting, I found a few "funny rocks" that rang out on my detector, all of which I threw away....to this day I wonder if they could have been meteorites!

Larry G.

Your "funny rocks" might have been a meteorite, however it's very unlikely. For every meteorite I've found, I've found 100 "hot rocks" or dug 100 pieces of trash. Ask any meteorite hunter how often they pass over hot rocks. Or even highly mineralized ground.

It's possible though that some hot rocks are meteorites... The best way to determine that is to learn about what meteorites look like, where they are typically found, how they get here, and what they are made of. Basically the better you are at identifying meteorites and the areas they are found in, the more successful a meteorite hunter you will be. Whether you are swinging a detector or not.

The Mifflin Meteorite fall (WI Meteorite) and all new falls are different in that you don't need a metal detector to find them because meteorites are sitting on the surface where they fell. Unless the ground is soft, or a meteorite falls in the water or tall grass or brush, it's easy to find them...

If you're in the right place.

Eric

[gemee]

Interesting read! Eric, are there any good California areas, that yield meteorites?

[allen]

neat and informational post !!