Franconia, Arizona - Trip date: 2003 January 05
M-Recovery field report - field investigation - Update
No additional finds - forensic evidence obtained...

Posted 03/01/19 | by Robert Verish

The new "Franconia" find - | - this is a link to a ".mpg" file depicting this new find.

The "Franconia" stone meteorite was found by Mr. John F. Wolfe on 2002 October 30, while searching for meteorites near his campsite. Because the heavily-mineralized cobbles and gravel were causing problems for his metal-detector, Mr. Wolfe had to resort to searching for meteorites "in visual mode". While keeping the sun at his back, he would visually scan the area immediately before him. Yet it wasn't until he took a break on a saddle between two washes, that he spied an "out of place" rock.

The new "Franconia" find - | - represents a new chondritic stone meteorite find for Arizona.

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Bolide*Chaser arrives at the find site - | - The author points to the rock monument marking the find location.

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The find locality - | - typical typography for this part of Arizona.

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My thin-section for this find - | - Various opaque minerals in reflected light.

This find is a metallic copper bearing meteorite...

Close-up of metal grains - | - Same view but magnified to show copper metal grain

Metallic copper segregated along grain boundaries between sulfide and Ni-Fe metal grains is evidence for a moderate shock event.

Regmaglypts - | - Well-developed, "thumbprint"-shaped depressions formed during ablation.

This side of the stone was parallel to the direction of flight during decent.

The new "Franconia" find - | - Full-sized image of the one in the banner.

Apparently, an oriented meteorite...

The "bottom" side - | - This side rested on the ground and still has some caliche attached.

The new "Franconia" find - | - Another view of the "bottom side" with caliche attached.

The new "Franconia" find - | - Another view of the "bottom side" with caliche attached.

A new "oriented" meteorite find - | - "Point me to the way to Arizona."

The new "Franconia" find - | - Another view which shows the "oriented-shape" of this meteorite.

The new "Franconia" find - | - The "trailing edge of this oriented meteorite.

The new "Franconia" find - | - Under the microscope - getting a close examination.

The new "Franconia" find - | - A microscopic egg case/sack from a Mojave Desert insect commonly found in cracks on most rocks.

The new "Franconia" find - | - Close-up of the same insect egg case/sack from the previous image.

The new "Franconia" find - | - Another group of insect egg sacks.

The new "Franconia" find - | - Close-up of the same insect egg sacks from the previous image.

The new "Franconia" find - | - Probably a seed husk or another egg case/sack..

The new "Franconia" find - | - A close-up of the above image.

The new "Franconia" find - | - A very small twig from a plant that is common to the find site.

The new "Franconia" find - | - A collection of small stems and twigs that I collected from around the find location.

The new "Franconia" find - | - Close-up of the previous image.

The new "Franconia" find - | - A seed, just emerging from its husk is stuck in a crack along with sand grains.

The new "Franconia" find - | - Close-up image *NOTE - the seed is from a plant common to Arizona and the grains of sand are typical from this locality.

The following images are of rock samples that I took from the find locality:

Sample rock #1 from the find site - | - Under the microscope - getting an equally close examination.

Sample rock #1 from the find site - | - Microscope reveals the same exact kind of insect egg cases/sacks.

Sample rock #1 from the find site - | - Close-up of the above images.

Sample rock #2 from the find site - | - Under the microscope - getting a close examination, just like "Sample Rock #1".

Sample rock #2 from the find site - | - Microscope reveals the same kind of seed or egg case as depicted in image fran27.jpg.

Sample rock #2 from the find site - | - Close-up of the above image.

When botanists and entomologists finish identifying the species for the plant and insect remains within this meteorite and my rock samples from this location, it will be considered as forensic evidence which confirms this find's locality is, indeed, this Southwestern U.S desert.

The new "Franconia" find - | - represents a new chondritic stone meteorite find for Arizona.

The new "Franconia" find - | - represents a new chondritic stone meteorite find for Arizona.