Salinas man finds meteorites in Nevada
Scott Harlan found this meteorite at Misfit Flats. Photo/Provided
By Scott Harlan, Salinas Californian
My interest in geology probably started with my father who was a petroleum geologist. We would go to gem and mineral shows together and look at all of the spectacular specimens.
There is a sense of discovery when you find something that no man has ever seen before.
Then in 2013, there was a fireball over Lake Tahoe that possibly could have resulted in meteorites on the ground. My brother in law, Richard Medalen, and I went up to look, but the hike was going to be difficult and it started raining the day we planned to search.
So, we decided to head to the nearest dry lake bed, which was Misfit Flats in Nevada.
We searched for a few hours and brought home a few rocks that could possibly be meteorites. Almost all meteorites have metallic iron and nickel inside, so the most definitive test for a novice is to cut the stone, polish the cut surface, and look for silver colored metal.