mn90403 Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 Hello List and Meteorite Hunters:I've hunted and found meteorites in Franconia and Gold Basin. I'm glad for that.As a result of a posting on another thread I have begun to wonder how do we compare Franconia to Gold Basin in terms of total weight/total number of meteorites found to date? Has this subject been covered on a different thread?I've seen a discussion of 'size of field' on another thread but which field has had more production? I've also seen discussions about there being multiple meteorites for both fields.I know in the early days of Franconia there have been some very large specimens found and lately the 'numbers' are still high because of the irons and smalls on the north side of the tracks. Gold Basin produced many, many finds over the years but is it possible to compare the numbers/weight of finds?And finally, looking forward ... which field has the greatest potential for future finds?Mitchel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DolanDave Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 Mitchel, Franconia has never been officially documented, as was Gold Basin by Jim Kriegh. So will never know for sure. There have been some large finds back in the early days on both sites. Good luck if you find that information, and if so post it. Dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mn90403 Posted November 9, 2013 Author Share Posted November 9, 2013 This past weekend at the outing I had a chance to talk with several hunters who were at the beginning of Gold Basin and Franconia and here is what seems to be a consensus.Franconia seems to have the much greater mass. Lots of very large finds have taken place in Franconia. There are very few large finds in Gold Basin.Gold Basin may have the total number finds and would most certainly if you did not consider the 'irons' found in Franconia. One collector I spoke with has found over 1200 irons in Franconia and I know a few others who have found hundreds of pieces in Franconia but the Gold Basin finds keep showing up.It is not really important to be accurate as much as I just wanted the perception of what others think who know more than me.Mitchel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikestang Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 1200 irons?! Holy cow, did they never hunt anywhere else? What would you do with so many? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mn90403 Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 Mike,When you spend weeks and months around a place ... you just don't leave them behind.Mitchel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeachBumm Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 99% of the Irons at the dense collection area (Franconia) like SaW are smaller than a jelly bean, with the right detector they are abundant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikestang Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 99% of the Irons at the dense collection area (Franconia) like SaW are smaller than a jelly bean, with the right detector they are abundant.Not abundant enough, I've never found one! :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredmason Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Hey, Mike...I hope you weren't like me when I first went there-I found various types of iron but didnot know about the little "irons" found in amongst the chrondites...So I cleaned off my magnet and threw them all away...live and learn...fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikestang Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Nope, I definitely know/knew about them. If I had an iron for every piece of wire I'd found... well I'd have several irons! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DolanDave Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 (edited) Mike, Have you hit Iron Alley at Franconia yet? If you skunked there, I would check your detector..Dave. Edited November 20, 2013 by DolanDave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikestang Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 Nope, still haven't spend any time over there. If I can make the Dec. hunt I'll have to hit it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonG Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 I think a lot of stuff found in gold basin goes largely unheard of because they are like me and not really looking for them and chunkin' them into buckets while wishing they were gold.Kinda unfortunate I suppose, but something to keep in mind if you are doing comparisons. Seems like the Franconia field has much less overlap with the goldfields there so probably don't have that problem as much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DolanDave Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 I think a lot of stuff found in gold basin goes largely unheard of because they are like me and not really looking for them and chunkin' them into buckets while wishing they were gold.Kinda unfortunate I suppose, but something to keep in mind if you are doing comparisons. Seems like the Franconia field has much less overlap with the goldfields there so probably don't have that problem as much? Jason, as you have proven and found, I think the strewn field at GB is larger than expected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikestang Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 I think a lot of stuff found in gold basin goes largely unheard of because they are like me and not really looking for them and chunkin' them into buckets while wishing they were gold.Kinda unfortunate I suppose, but something to keep in mind if you are doing comparisons. Seems like the Franconia field has much less overlap with the goldfields there so probably don't have that problem as much?If you have any buckets full of rocks, please send them my way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mn90403 Posted November 20, 2013 Author Share Posted November 20, 2013 Jason,Mike is right about there 'people' wanting the rocks you may not want. They do have value to some of us.Mitchel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonG Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 I left a pile sitting on that outing campfire ring for people to take, might still be there. Give the coil a swing there if anyone ever gets the skunk and needs an easy target! My main bucket o' space turdage is at home in Colorado right now but if anyone sees me around then ask and if I have some on me then you can have em. It varies day by day depending where I am detecting.Yup, that strewn field in all directions for sure is much larger than on that map that was drawn and posted here or where people generally think it ends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desertsunburn Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 1200 irons?! Holy cow, did they never hunt anywhere else? What would you do with so many? In the time I've been hunting, I think BamBam (Jason)holds a daily total record for those I've hunted with. Jason finds so many sometimes he feels bad for the rest of us and stops telling us about them! My one day personal record is 83 irons and Wendy is not too far behind me at 70 something. DolanDave found a beauty the last time we hunted there. That said, I've been skunked there many times. Back in the early days of the Franconia area, it was fairly easy to find a lot of meteorites as I learned from various hunters. It's a totally amazing strewnfield and it will produce meteorites for years to come, but they are a lot harder to find now-a-days. If you find them now, you really earned them! Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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