ROCK DISCOVERED BY TREASUREHUNTER3D METAL DETECTOR WORTH MORE THAN GOLD
Treasure hunting with a metal detector
Treasure hunting with a metal detector is a great hobby and also a very profitable one if you know what to search for. Probably the most common activity undertaken by metal detector enthusiasts is coin shooting. Once coin shooting becomes uninteresting, you focus on other objects that stimulate the adrenaline rush. Metal detecting is plenty of fun if you dig up the hidden treasures that have been left behind over the years. Or if you find underground trenches, pits and caves. But finding gold is the ultimate treasure hunting. Or is it? Is there anything more valuable than gold? We didn’t think so until our regular customer contacted us with shocking news. Asif has discovered a different way to make money with the metal detector.
While looking for gold he encountered an interesting stone with high metal content. He discovered a meteorite. Meteorites are pieces of space debris that have landed on the earth’s surface after surviving a fiery journey through the layers of our atmosphere. They differ in size and shape and are made of either stone or iron. Most meteorites are one of three types: stony, stony-iron, or iron. These compositions tell us where the meteoroid existed in its parent body. An iron or stony-iron was close to the core of an asteroid, while a stony object was closer to the surface.
Meteorites are highly desirable and costly
Meteorites are valuable both to science and the collecting community. Because they are rare and are the only way to touch the cosmos, the demand is quite high all over the world! Value is determined by many different factors including the rarity of type, size, condition, and beauty or aesthetic appeal. Meteorite values can range from a few dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars .
It is important to note that new and noteworthy meteorite finds should always be made available to the scientific community for study. Once a meteorite has been analyzed and classified by academia, surplus specimens find their way onto the commercial market. The process of acceptance into the official scientific literature actually adds commercial value to a meteorite.
Meteorites are typically sold by weight. The meteorite collecting community uses the metric system so weights are measured in grams and kilograms, and dimensions in centimeters and millimeters.
As the public becomes aware that they can own these things, we are seeing more and more interest. A prime specimen will easily fetch $50/gram while rare examples of lunar and Martian meteorites may sell for $1,000/gram or more — almost forty times the current price of gold!
Where are the best locations to find meteorites
Best places to hunt meteorites are locations that have been identified as “strewn fields”. This is a zone where several meteorites from the same fall have been recovered. There are many strewn fields all over the world. The four main strewn fields in the world are the
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Central European (Ries crater in Germany),
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Ivory Coast (Bosumtwi crater in Ghana, West Africa),
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North American (Chesapeake crater, North America) and
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Australasian (source crater still unknown, although a large crater in Western Cambodia, Lake Tonle Sap, has been proposed).
We also recommend checking this map that shows where meteorites were found.
Best equipment to search for meteorites
After you’ve picked out a good location and done some research, the first thing you’ll need is a high-quality metal detector that can help you find a valuable meteorite.
Most metal detectors will locate iron, but you’ll want one that penetrates much deeper into the Earth to find the more valuable meteorites. Classic metal detectors can only help you to find meteorites that are very close to the surface (max. depth 0.5m) , therefore 3D metal detectors like TreasureHunter3D products that are able to detect objects down to 30m depth are much better choice.
How to recognize a meteorite
Top of the list for meteorite hunting equipment is your eyes. So the first thing to do is to tune up your eyes for what meteorites look like.
Most metals found on Earth are either man-made or a meteorite. A piece of metal without holes or bubbles in it may be a meteorite. If you think you’ve found one but aren’t sure, rub your find on a piece of unfinished ceramic tile. If the streak is red, the mineral is hematite and not a meteorite. If you don’t have any ceramic tile lying around, try to break a piece of your find off. If it is a meteorite, it will be similar to naturally-occurring steel, and you probably won’t be able to break it no matter how hard you try.
Most meteorites will stick to a magnet. Use a good quality magnet to test your specimen. Meteorites are dense, they will feel heavier than ordinary Earth rocks of a similar size. Meteorites, especially irons, often acquire “regmaglypts” (thumbprints) caused when their surface melts during flight. Stone meteorites sometimes display regmaglypts too, but they are typically not as well defined as in irons.
Links to other interesting articles about meteorites:
Huge meteorites go on sale for £3.4 million