Post by Ian Thomas on Nov 23, 2023 6:42:49 GMT 10
Another tool in the prospector's kit?
Meteorites per se are not uncommon and are not worth all that much. At least, judging by the last time I looked on eBay.This instrument would only id specimens predominately made of Fe-Ni or ferrimagnetic oxides, eg Magnetite. Doesn't sound like the gizmo could discriminate them in situ: you'd first have to remove your space-rock from its matrix and then test it. So, more a meteorite classifier than a detector?
It'd be good for children's entertainment like they do in the Double Helix Club & down on the Gippsland Dinosaur Coast. A bit of 'high tech' would make a welcome change from splashing about with mud pies, as palaeontologists generally do 🦕
The “Meteorite meter”: A handheld instrument for the combined measurement of magnetic susceptibility and electrical conductivity, with application to meteorite identification and classification
Retrieved October 26, 2023, from
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/maps.14087
Our tests demonstrate that the precision and the accuracy of this instrument called “Meteorite meter” (MetMet) are sufficient to allow distinguishing most meteorites from most terrestrial rocks, for a minimum recommended sample mass of 5 g. This kind of instrument has an immense advantage over the widely used testing of meteorites with magnets, as it does not affect the paleomagnetic records of meteorites that are highly valuable for scientists.
Retrieved October 26, 2023, from
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/maps.14087
Our tests demonstrate that the precision and the accuracy of this instrument called “Meteorite meter” (MetMet) are sufficient to allow distinguishing most meteorites from most terrestrial rocks, for a minimum recommended sample mass of 5 g. This kind of instrument has an immense advantage over the widely used testing of meteorites with magnets, as it does not affect the paleomagnetic records of meteorites that are highly valuable for scientists.
Meteorites per se are not uncommon and are not worth all that much. At least, judging by the last time I looked on eBay.This instrument would only id specimens predominately made of Fe-Ni or ferrimagnetic oxides, eg Magnetite. Doesn't sound like the gizmo could discriminate them in situ: you'd first have to remove your space-rock from its matrix and then test it. So, more a meteorite classifier than a detector?
It'd be good for children's entertainment like they do in the Double Helix Club & down on the Gippsland Dinosaur Coast. A bit of 'high tech' would make a welcome change from splashing about with mud pies, as palaeontologists generally do 🦕
