The overlap of membership between the two expeditions is a cause for concern. So far, only Lynithe and the writer have attended both. The cumulative experience we should be building is therefore limited, and the program needs to attract individuals with a desire to build experience over a long period of time. The alternative is to attract participants who already have collected meteorites in the field and can share their experience.

It is noted with regret that no professional geologists, or representatives of SAHRA have been able to attend either of the expeditions conducted to date.

The members of the two expeditions conducted in 2000 would like to thank the SAHRA, and especially Mary Leslie, for granting a permit for the collection of meteorites to people who have no experience and are not professionals in that field.

The intended search area was Verneukpan where Donald Campbell made a Land Speed Record attempt in 1929. Unfortunately this proved to be under water. [It was still partially muddy and under water during the Spring Expedition].

Subsequent thinking has led us to believe that dry pan surfaces would prove to good for RECENT falls. Older falls would become covered in mud and could sink.

We therefore moved North of Verneukpan to a desert pavement surface on the farm Vaderlanspan.

The expedition intention was to concentrate on any area likely to have soaked up meteorite falls over a long period of time and to leave them exposed.

The underlying shale geology looked likely as a reasonably good contrast area. [Contrast shales with dark rocks with possible fusion crusts].

The geology map proved to be too generic, and one with sufficient detail was not available. In fact, the shales were interspersed with banded iron formations [BIFs] which proved to be a problem.

We were sidetracked by the discovery of small stones that were heavy, were attracted by a magnet, and had a shiny black [fusion?] crust. They proved to be BIFs, rich in iron and covered with desert patina. It was hoped that at least one would prove to a meteorite, and while Wits Geology sawed all sample returns open for study, this group proved all to be BIFs.

As an aside, the conventional wisdom of hunting for meteorites with a metal detector would have suffered the same fate.

Other rock types proved to be lavas. If anything, these samples got my hopes up that one would be meteoritic. One contained visible olivine, had an apparent fusion crust with deep cracks [as mentioned by Dr Mike Zolensky / Johnson Space Centre]. On analysis, one of these also contained nickel, but Wits identified all samples as terrestrial.

Karl Sagan stated that "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" and it is right to be quite skeptical in declaring an object to have originated in space.

It is suggested that we locate concentration mechanisms close to old surfaces for the next Expedition. It can be assumed that 500 year rains and greater could conceivably move meteorites and other rock from old surfaces and concentrate them in runoff areas. This option has yet to be explored. In conjunction with a move westwards, this could prove to be rewarding.

The expedition is designed to maximise use of public holidays [ non-revenue earning days!] at a point where the temperatures are neither too hot nor too cold. Please pencil in your diaries now!

Some members of the Spring Expedition 2001 would like to extend a visit to the Richtersveld [for those with 4X4s]. I suspect that no permit will be issued to recover meteorites in National Parks, though.

[1] There are a number of ‘geological tourist attractions’ to the West including Black Rock, the O’Kiep copper mines, the Steinkopf Reserve area, Gamsberg etc.