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I plan on taking my metal detector up into the foothills in Ca. and checking along some small creek beds to see if I might find a little gold. I have never tried this before so it is all on and try to learn basis, maybe just a waste of time but it will be a nice walk in the country. So anyway I was thinking maybe I will stumble across a little surprise from the sky like a meteorite. Would anyone have any suggestions for a beginner. Like what kind of tools to take, I have a metal detector, Rock pick hammer, a couple of strong magnets, magnifying glass, safety glasses and a backpack. Any feedback/info. on looking for gold or meteorites. Help me out. I plan on going in the next week or so and if anything interesting happens I can come back and share with this group. Wish me well Thanks Solitare 2012 I will checkout the beginners luck theory

. I seldom hear meteorite hunter use metal detector to find meteor. I thought only gold hunters can use their gold metal detectors to find gold.

I think a metal detector works well for iron containing meteorites. But most meteorites are rocky. People like to look for them in places where there aren't rocks like the plains of Antarctica but it's still pretty hard to find them. Chris is the meteor man though. I'm sure he can help you with some basic characteristics.

geckzilla wrote:I think a metal detector works well for iron containing meteorites. But most meteorites are rocky. People like to look for them in places where there aren't rocks like the plains of Antarctica but it's still pretty hard to find them. Chris is the meteor man though. I'm sure he can help you with some basic characteristics.

Many stony meteorites have a high enough metallic iron content to be detectable with a good quality metal detector. This assumes, however, that the natural rocks don't also have a high iron content, which they frequently do. I know someone who found a nice iron meteorite about a foot deep using a metal detector, and some hunters have good luck with them, but most people search for meteorites visually.

Chris Peterson wrote:

geckzilla wrote:I think a metal detector works well for iron containing meteorites. But most meteorites are rocky. People like to look for them in places where there aren't rocks like the plains of Antarctica but it's still pretty hard to find them. Chris is the meteor man though. I'm sure he can help you with some basic characteristics.

Many stony meteorites have a high enough metallic iron content to be detectable with a good quality gold metal detector. This assumes, however, that the natural rocks don't also have a high iron content, which they frequently do. I know someone who found a nice iron meteorite about a foot deep using a metal detector, and some hunters have good luck with them, but most people search for meteorites visually.

So, how to choose a good quality gold metal detector?

ShayneThill wrote:So, how to choose a good quality gold metal detector?

Are you looking for gold or for meteorites? The technical requirements are different, although high end models are often good for both. The couple I know who found the iron meteorite were actually looking for gold. They had joined a treasure hunters club and bought their detector based on input from others with more experience. I'd suggest you do the same, or at least get involved in an online forum. There are many. I got some good advice a few years ago when looking for a fairly inexpensive metal detector useful for several applications.