I acquired my first metal detector when I was a kid, in 1971. It was a simple affair, as was the hobby back then. Detectorists were a very small group (likely regarded as extremely eccentric by “normal” people) and were primarily interested in searching for lost and buried treasure, such as hordes of Roman coins or Viking burials. That was during my childhood in the UK, of course. I don’t think we have much in the way of Roman or Viking riches in the United States, although at least one sensationalized reality television show might want you to believe otherwise.

During the 1970s my close childhood friend, John Flin, and I became something of an amateur treasure hunting team. We found coins, World War II relics — including plenty of old bullets and cartridges on a disused Royal Air Force base — and occasionally excavated the muck of the River Thames at low tide. Since city dwellers have been throwing, dumping, and accidentally dropping things into Londinuium’s murky waters since before Roman times, the slimy residue exposed when the tide flows out is rich with the discarded relics of multiple centuries.

Metal detectors operate on a fairly simple principle: A control box generates an electromagnetic pulse that is transmitted into the ground through a typically hoop-shaped coil. When that pulse encounters buried metal, the detector registers a disruption in the field and alerts the user via an audio signature, or a visual display, or both. In the old days, that was it. You heard a sound and dug up a target. Modern detectors are a whole lot more sophisticated and can often tell you what type of metal lies beneath your feet (iron, aluminum, or precious metals, for example). Some will even speculate what, precisely, your target could be (a dime, a ring pull from a soda or beer can, foil, etc.) and how deeply it might be buried.

The author in Chile’s Atacama Desert, with one of his favorite metal detectors, while filming Season Two of “Meteorite Men” the TV series

The vast majority of detectors are hand-held units that weigh a few pounds, but some are larger and far more complex. Viewers who have watched my television series Meteorite Men on the Science channel may have seen us employing gigantic metal detectors that are towed behind a truck or ATV. Recent developments in pulse induction (PI) technology have enabled designers to build larger and larger coils, such as those used on the show. An oversize coil will cover more ground on each pass, and will also “see” further into the ground, giving detectorists the ability to recover targets from greater depths than ever before. Since the strength of an electomagnetic pulse decays quickly over distance, the larger the coil, the greater its range. While filming Season Three of Meteorite Men in the forests of western Poland, we found a 75-pound iron meteorite six feet underground. Such a concept would have sounded like science fiction to me as a kid, when the range of an average detector was likely not more that a foot.

As my interest in, and experience with, meteorites and their recovery increased, so did my familiarity with metal detectors. I have used scores of detectors over the past few decades, and worked with equipment from all the leading manufacturers, of which there are quite a number. I have a long-standing professional relationship with Fisher Labs in El Paso, Texas and we used their excellent detectors (notably the F-75) in all three seasons of Meteorite Men. We were even invited to field test prototypes of new models on the show, and that was a great treat for a gearhead like myself. Fisher detectors (and the products of their sister company, Teknetics) are lightweight, highly sensitive, reliable, easy to use, and affordable. As such, they are a popular choice for many experienced detectorists and I have found meteorites on four continents using them.

Every search presents its own challenges and it is important to select the right equipment for the job. One of the most highly respected companies in the metal detector world is Minelab, and their sophisticated and advanced detectors are favored by many of the world’s most experienced relic hunters and gold prospectors. Minelab users have an extraordinary loyalty to the company and it is easy to see why. I am the proud owner of a GPX 5000 and it is easily one of the best pieces of equipment I’ve ever used. Minelab’s higher end detectors are probably second to none in their class, in terms of range and versatility, and the care with which they are manufactured is reflected in the price tag — but you get what you pay for. I’ve heard stories from the most reliable sources about experienced gold hunters returning to sites long considered to be “played out,” only to recover a small fortune in nuggets, due to the increased depth range of the newest Minelab. You might spend thousands of dollars on a Minelab, but you also might make all of that back in one day, and then some. As my co-host of Meteorite Men, Steve Arnold, once remarked: “You can have a really good year, in an afternoon, if you get lucky.”

An assortment of manmade metallic trash excavated during a recent meteorite hunt

The growing popularity of metal detecting, both as a hobby and as a profession, is reflected by this weekend’s second annual Go Minelabbing / National Metal Detecting Day events. Tomorrow, Saturday, May 18, Minelab is sponsoring four day-long events in Santa Barbara, California; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Toronto, Canada and Rio de Janiero, Brazil (we should probably think about changing that to “International Metal Detecting Day” next year!). As we did last year, Steve and I are appearing as featured guests but, this year, the Meteorite Men are straddling the continent. Steve will be at the Atlantic City event, and I’ll be in Santa Barbara, along with Tim and George, hosts of the NatGeo television series Diggers.

Metal detectorists are my people. It takes skill to operate a detector properly and it takes determination to make significant finds. A good deal of patience is also required in order to become a successful hunter and these qualities are attractive to me. Detectorists are typically intelligent, focused, thoughtful, and slightly whimsical gearheads. There’s also something existentially upbeat about them. You have to function with a certain positive mindset if that coil is going to keep on swinging, hour after hour, propelled by the hope or belief that the next big find could be just over there, under that tree, or on the slope of that hill.

If you’ve ever dreamed of finding buried treasure, join us tomorrow. Minelab will be displaying equipment, presenting organized hunts with purposely buried coins, sponsoring talks, kids’ events, and just about anything else that a seeker of buried treasure could wish for. I’ll be on the beach in front of the Fess Parker Doubletree Santa Barbara all day, reading from my latest book, Rock Star: Adventures of a Meteorite Man, giving a talk, answering questions, displaying meteorires, signing autographs, and generally reveling in the company of my like-minded and slightly but delightfully weird fellow treasure hunters. And if you want to see something really special, ask to take a look at my latest acquisition — a marvelous and recently-recovered piece of the Chelyabinsk meteorite that was part of the city-pummeling Russian fireball of February 15.

More information about National Metal Detecting Day / Go Minelabbing, or follow the hashtag #NMDD on Twitter

If you enjoyed this article, please connect with me on Twitter @geoffnotkin

Photographs by Pablo del Rio Larrain and Suzanne Morrison © Aerolite Meteorites, LLC.
Text © Geoffrey Notkin. All rights reserved. No reproduction without written permission.

The inaugural Arizona Science and Astronomy Expo (ASAE) will kick off at the Tucson Convention Center tomorrow, Saturday, November 10 and is certain to enthrall science buffs of all ages. Event Director, Alan Traino, is a solar telescope pioneer, a highly respected member of the astronomy community, and a proponent of science education for young Americans. For the past three years, along with my Meteorite Men co-host Steve Arnold, I have been a speaker at Alan’s Northeast Astronomy Forum (NEAF) in New York. NEAF is the largest astronomy event in the world and I know from personal experience that Alan is one of the foremost promoters and organizers of science-related events in the country.

“2012 is our first year here,” said Alan Traino, “but we are going to build on it, and Tucson will be the center of the astronomy universe within five years.”

For this weekend’s Tucson expo, Alan and his associates have put together a stellar lineup of speakers, including NASA astronauts Story Musgrave and Donald Petit; Canadian scientist Dr. Carin Bondar, “The Biologist with a Twist, a brilliant science writer, blogger and television personality; Dr. Phil Plait, AKA “The Bad Astronomer,” who delights thousands of fans around the world with his illuminating writing and lectures; astronomy writer and podcaster Dr. Pamela L. Gay, solar telescope expert Stephen Ramsden; Adam Block from the Mount Lemmon Sky Center, and Dr. Steele Hill of NASA’s Goddard SOHO mission.

Celebrated scientist and blogger, Dr. Phil Plait is a featured speaker at this weekend’s Tucson science expo. Photograph © Phil Plait.

I was honored by the invitation to put together a meteorite panel entitled, “Out of the Sky: How Meteorites have Changed the World.” The panel begins at 10 am on Sunday, November 11, and will be moderated by asteroid expert and former Meteorite magazine editor, Dr. Larry Lebofsky. The panelists are Dr. Melissa Morris from ASU’s Center for Meteorite Studies; world famous meteorite hunter Sonny Clary; Director of Operations for Aerolite Meteorites, LLC and Meteorite Men location photographer, Suzanne Morrison; and myself. NASA Edge TV will be filming the panel for live broadcast, and interested parties are invited to watch it live on the web.

Dr. Carin Bondar, “The Biologist with a Twist,” will delight audiences at the expo this weekend. Photograph © Carin Bondar/Kim Mallory Photography.

In addition to the scheduled speaking events the Arizona Science and Astronomy Expo will be offering remote telescope viewing with the Mount Lemmon Sky Center, imaging workshops, ongoing digital planetarium shows, daytime solar observing and night time viewing through an impressive array of telescopes. The expo “will be featuring exhibitors and manufacturers of astronomical products from around the world, including telescopes, binoculars, mounts, cameras, domes, and all related accessories. You can also shop for all your extras including meteorites, flashlights, gifts, and much more.”

The Mule, the special expedition vehicle seen in action on Meteorite Men, Globe Trekker, and How the Earth was Made will be on display for the entire weekend.

In addition, NASA has generously loaned an extraordinary collection of historic memorabilia and artifacts to the expo, including flown space suits and their display collection of meteorites.

ASAE will feature a spectacular display of space rocks, provided by NASA and Aerolite Meteorites of Tucson. Photograph by Suzanne Morrison © Aerolite Meteorites, LLC.

“We are trying to engage our young people and show them that it’s cool to be a science geek,” said John Joseph, President of Starlight Instruments and an exhibitor at the event. “We may not have a space program anymore, but some of the kids attending ASAE this weekend are going to grow up and start their own.”

Admission is only $10 each day and includes access to all exhibits and talks. Kids under 12 receive free admission with an adult, and veterans are invited to accept complimentary admission on Sunday.

Visit the official website for more information >>>

The late O. Richard Norton was a gifted and dedicated science writer. He wrote with a concise clarity that brought the most complex of concepts warmly to life. He was also an admired personal friend. His seminal work Rocks from Space, published in 1994, was the first popular book to bring the study of meteorites to a large audience. It remains an important, engaging, and informative work to this day, as do his later books, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Meteorites and The Field Guide to Meteors and Meteorites (with Lawrence Chitwood). Richard’s wife, Dorothy Sigler Norton, also a personal friend, worked closely with Richard on all of these titles and — an accomplished scientific illustrator — she provided much of the artwork for the books.

I, myself, provided numerous images for Dorothy and Richard’s new book, What’s So Mysterious About Meteorites?, as did my staff photographer, Suzanne Morrison. We offered these photographs gladly because everyone wanted to see Richard’s last work come into the world, under Dorothy’s guidance. As such, some might think me a little biased towards this new publication, but I am not. With a wealth of fascinating new books seeing print each and every year, I choose not to waste time discussing works I did not enjoy. So, this review is mixed with delight at holding Richard’s posthumous final work in my hand, and sadness at the realization that there will be no more.

In Dorothy’s introduction she writes:

“O. Richard Norton passed away before he completed work on What’s So Mysterious About Meteorites?, a book that meant a lot to him. He had always wanted to provide a basic introduction to his beloved meteorites that could be read by young adults and anyone else interested in the subject of rocks that fall from the sky. While finishing it, I could hear his voice in my mind, explaining some detail about meteorites to students or to the many people who showed up at our door with boxes of rocks. He was a wonderful teacher, a great husband, and a generous friend to all who studied and searched for these curious rocks.”

Amen to that.

What’s So Mysterious About Meteorites? (Mountain Press, 2012) runs exactly 100 pages, is 8 3/8 x 9 inches and, with its lively, colorful cover, is clearly aimed at younger readers. And that’s good news because I already have two overly large shelves filled with highly technical tomes on my favorite subject; works that will not appeal to any but the most eccentric school kids (I’d be a little concerned if anyone under the age of fourteen was, for example, tackling Buchwald’s Handbook of Iron Meteorites). What’s So Mysterious About Meteorites? is packed with pictures of meteorites in the lab, in studio settings, under the microscope, in the field, as well as images of me and my more-than-a-little-offbeat comrades doing what we love best — scouring the wilderness for space rocks. The most amusing of these images is a picture, on page 46, of my friend Tim Heitz gazing rapturously into the sky, while sitting atop a 37-ton South American iron meteorite known as El Chaco.

Many times, over the years, I have been told: “Geoff you really should write a children’s book about meteorites!” I chose not to pursue such a thing because I knew Dorothy had already embarked upon a similar project, and because I was already busy with existing book projects, but mostly because I knew that with Dorothy’s caring spirit, extensive knowledge of the subject, and attention to artistic detail, she would do a much better job than I could.

An image on page vi, opposite the “Table of Contents,” admirably sets the tone for the book. The full-page color photograph depicts Manuel, a young Argentinian boy, pointing at a just-found specimen of the Berduc meteorite (fell April 7, 2008) lying in the dirt. I well know that look on Manuel’s face. It is awe and wonder, mixed with amazement and triumph; the expression of a successful meteorite hunter who has, against all odds, discovered that most elusive of quarries.

In a clear and friendly tone that will be easily assimilated by younger readers, Dorothy begins the book with a brief explanation of what meteorites are, how they differ from meteors, comets, and asteroids, and later adds pleasant doses of astronomy and space exploration to the mix. She jumps straight into the action with an account of the Park Forest fall (March 26, 2003), the only meteorite shower in recorded history to have landed within the confines a major city, that being Chicago. 14 year-old Robert Garza narrowly escaped injury when a loaf of bread-sized space rock crashed through the roof of his family’s suburban home. Thousands of other smaller meteorites landed nearby. Robert’s father called the police, believing some mischief-maker had thrown a rock through the roof of his house:

“But who could throw a rock with that much force? The police took the rock away and put it in an evidence bag. Under ‘offense’ they wrote, ‘N/A (Act of God).’ The rock in the bag at the police station was soon joined by more mysterious rocks. One had hit the roof of the local firehouse. It quickly became clear that these trespassing stones were meteorites. As word got out, people started looking for them. And they found them all over the place.”

I was one of those people. I found seventeen Park Forest meteorites, and gave one each to my meteorite-hunting colleagues, Professor Jim Kriegh and Twink Monrad, both of them also close friends of the Nortons.

Later chapters discuss, in considerable detail, where meteorites come from, what they are made of, and explain meteorite-specific scientific terms such as ablation, strewnfield and rollover lip. The “Fireball Observer’s Checklist” is a handy reference for those fortunate enough to witness a very large meteor in flight. Other sections include “Mars Has Meteorites Too,” a comparison of different meteorite types, and a look at impact craters. The chapter “How Can You Find Meteorites?” provides tips for the would-be searcher, and there is guidance on how to start a collection. What’s So Mysterious About Meteorites? is rounded out by a list of helpful print and online resources, and a glossary of terms.

One of the many interesting space rocks featured in the book. This meteorite is Canyon Diablo from Arizona. Photo by Suzanne Morrison © Aerolite Meteorites LLC

During the past three years I have hosted an international television adventure series called Meteorite Men. The show has sparked a great deal of interest in space rocks, especially — to my considerable glee — among younger viewers. Parents often telephone, or email, and tell us how thankful they are that our series has inspired their kids to walk away from the box and go dig for rocks, instead, in the fresh-air world. Well, except for one slightly frustrated parent who complained: “My garden now looks like the surface of the moon, thanks to you guys!”

For those who want to learn more, we often recommend my first book, Meteorite Hunting: How to Find Treasure from Space, which is a technical, hands-on field guide for those smitten with the desire to go out and recover their own cosmic visitor. My books are written for an adult audience, although they have been enjoyed by some precocious young readers, one of whom reportedly carries a heavily dog-eared copy around with him, daily, at school. His mother told me that he sometimes gets teased by other students and called a “nerd.” I asked her to pass along to him that he should not worry about any of that, because he is a whole lot smarter than the other kids, and they will all be bitterly envious, anyway, when he finds his first thousand-dollar meteorite.

Musings aside, my point is there has been a vacuum in the meteorite world until now. What’s So Mysterious About Meteorites? is not a technical book, but it covers the technical aspects of the complex science of meteoritics in a kid-friendly manner. It tells the amazing story of meteorites in an easy-to-read and easy-to-understand manner that will engage children and young adults who yearn for something more cosmically puzzling and stimulating than reality television or Xbox.

So, parents of kids who dream of being astronomers, or astronauts, or meteorite hunters when they grow up, here is your chance. What’s So Mysterious About Meteorites? will make a wonderful gift for your science-curious progeny and, who knows, perhaps it will ignite a spark that will send them — a couple of decades from now — rocketing across the globe (or into space) on the adventure of a lifetime. What could possibly make for a better present than that?

All photographs and text © Geoffrey Notkin and/or Aerolite Meteorites LLC.
Book cover © by Mountain Press.
All rights reserved. No reproduction without written permission.