Randy Lunn

Good way to increase end of year sales.

What a great trip! Congratulations! That big one certainly is an “eye popper”. I have only found a few sub-grammars on my last two trips to Rye Patch. You are an inspiration. Thanks!

You need this specimen to be evaluated by a university meteorite lab. ASU ( Dr Laurence Garvie) , WU ( Randy L. Kororev - Washington Univ.) ,   Tony Irving, a geochemist and meteorite specialist affiliated with the University of Washington in Seattle,  Alan Rubin, UCLA tel:310-825-3202 mailto: aerubin@ucla.edu. and several others could confirm what this really is.
 

One young graduate is actively looking for meteorites to classify, Daniel Sheikh at Portland State University. It will cost about $350 and the lab will want to keep a small piece and a thin section. danielsheikh68@gmail.com

If this is a Martian meteorite it could be very valuable. Documentation needed. 

Reese, this is a totally impressive find for both your skills and the GPX 6000.

The MineLab chart at 14.5” deep (about 368mm) shows the GPZ 7000 with the stock 14” coil (using LM-HY/N) getting a 1.9 gram nugget. Your nugget is one third the size found at the same depth. The GPX 6000 is a great machine. 
 

Digger Dave certainly makes it look way too easy. But I am pleased to see the veteran find a new hobby and a better life.

Wonderful to see this old engine running.

The UCLA and Caltech researchers referred to in the article are most likely AlanRubin and Chi Ma. In 2021 Rubin and Ma co-authored the definitive work on meteorite minerals: Meteorite Mineralology published by Cambridge Planetary Science. 

From Wikipedia:

Elaliite is a mineral with formula Fe₉PO₁₂ (or Fe²⁺₈Fe³⁺(PO₄)O₈) that was first synthesized in a laboratory in the 1980s and later identified in natural material in 2022 at which time the official mineral designation was given. The mineral is orthorhombic, with space group Cmmm (space group 65).

Elkinstantonite /ˌɛlkɪnzˈtæntənaɪt/ is a mineral with formula Fe₄(PO₄)₂O that was first generated in a laboratory in the 1980s^[1] and first identified from natural origins in 2022, when the official mineral designation was also given. It is monoclinic, with space group P2₁/c (space group 14).^[2]
 

I am a member and believe AMRA is a good club to support. Not only is AMRA representing our community in legal issues and holding fun outings,  but their gold claims have been very good to me. 

If it was hot enough to start a fire it will be large enough to easily find. 
 

if no meteorite then the fire was started some other way. I hope if was a meteorite. It could become famous and valuable.

Sevastras, well done! You have had solid success on this trip to Rye Patch. My last trip to Rye Patch was in similar cold, windy with rainy conditions sleeping in the back of my Jeep. I only got two sub-grammars but felt great. No skunk. I totally agree with you …… just being out in beautiful country swinging the detector is one of the best feelings in the world!

Beautiful finds Dave. Well done!

Most likely lava (basalt).

Over time gold will follow inflation and hold value. Big spikes in value take a crisis.

Gold has not gone up recently with the market downturn because gold is used for liquidity when people do not want to sell their stocks and people sell their gold when interest rates go up to get current income. 
 

My 6000 has been very productive on hard hit claims. There are a lot of sub-gram “Goldilocks nuggets” at a few inches that both the 7000 and GM (and GB2) miss. 

I still have my 7000 but it is getting heavier every year. However, in  less hit areas known for large nuggets the 7000 can not be beat. 

A gold magnet that uses quantum entanglement to detect nuggets up to three feet away. 

I have been in denial, but with temperatures hitting over 100 degrees on a daily basis I finally have to admit the winter detecting season in the Southern California and Arizona deserts is over. It has been a fun year, and I have met a lot of good people through the clubs I belong to, Bill Southern's YouTube patreon group and just randomly in the middle of nowhere.  I have detected mostly with the GPX 6000 and GM 1000.

I just love getting out into nature. The thrill of being in a beautiful area with the sense of adventure and the chance to find stuff is exhilarating. My best gold finds were a patch of eight small nuggets in the Cargo Muchacho Mountains, a 4.1 gram nugget with two small nuggets (.2 and .3 grams) each nestled less than six inches away near Yuma, a 17 gram complete chondrite meteorite with regmaglypts and contraction cracks from Coyote Dry Lake, a "perfect" old tin can with solder seam and applied top, a mule shoe found at the top of a high hill in the middle of the Vulture Mountains in Arizona and a bird band in Gold Basin that I reported. I got a bunch of other small nuggets but the artifacts and animals really help me get through those days when I get skunked. 

I will be making trips to Northern Nevada and the Yuba this summer. See you there!

Bill and Tammy are wonderful people, and their Patreon trips are fun adventures.

Well done Chris. That’s a fantastic collection of nuggets. You are on a roll. 

Well done Reese. That’s a nice range of nuggets. I am glad to see the 6000 can find large gold. 

Great write-up on a fun and successful trip. Good to see you on Bill’s trip and I like the two nuggets you found on the first day. I found seven small nuggets (only .9 grams total) a week ago in the Cargo Muchacho mountains. That 6000 is amazing. Let’s link up on your next trip. Happy New Year!

Absolutely incredible Lunk. You and the 6000 make an amazing team. Congrats on a stellar haul.

I feel your pain. I often set my detector to "Square Nails" by mistake also.

I am always amazed that countries that did not even exist lay claim to treasure found that had been abandoned centuries ago.

A few years ago Steve H submitted a post addressing this problem by recommending a battery charging/booster. I bought his recommendation and have had no problem charging my detectors for several days with power to spare. Link below:

NOCO Genius Boost Pro GB150 4000 Amp 12V Lithium Jump Starter

Hunting gold takes me to beautiful places I would not otherwise visit. I love the history, the geology, the adventure, the solitude and thrill of finding gold. I also enjoy the friends I make and the knowledge we share.