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AEROLITE
METEORITES EXPEDITION SCRAPBOOK |
Photographs by Geoffrey
Notkin, except where noted |
| My adventure scapbook is a collection of favorite images from many years of meteorite and fossil hunting expeditions around the world. These photographs were taken with both digital and film cameras. They are not in chronological order, rather in an arrangement which I find visually pleasing. These pages are the result of tens of thousands of miles of travel, some of it hazardous, some of it exciting, but all of it with cameras in hand. I can be seen in many of these images, and those were taken with a tripod and timer, or by setting up a camera and asking an expedition partner to take the shot for me. Many times, I had to put down a backpack or metal detector, pull a truck over to the side of a rocky track, or strip off some mosquito netting to take a picture. At those times — eager as I was to continue with the hunt — I had to force myself to stop and preserve a view, or an event, on film. These images are the progeny of those moments when I stopped to take a breath, and a picture. Click on any image to enlarge |
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VACA
MUERTA Perched on a battered Toyota parked atop a high ridge, our team surveyed the Vaca Muerta strewnfield with binoculars. We felt entirely alone in an empty world. It was beautifully remote and silent under an enamel-blue sky. Camera: Yashica T4 Super (Photo by Steve Arnold) |
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POPIGAI
CRATER On our fifth day inside the crater, a small team took one of the rafts and made a trip deeper into the crater to explore an outcrop of diamond-bearing tagamite (an impactite or meteoritic origin). The high cliffs at left are entirely composed of impact breccias. Camera: Yashica T4 Super |
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BRENHAM
STREWNFIELD Steve Arnold and Geoff Notkin with an 82-pound complete Brenham pallasite, immediately after they excavated it. The dig was filmed by the Travel Channel for their new adventure series called "Cash and Treasures." Camera: Nikon 8700 (Photo by Sony Clary) |
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METEOR
CRATER My first view of the magnificent but incorrectly* named Meteor Crater, near Winslow, Arizona. I have returned many times since that first visit. (*Craters are created by meteorites, not meteors) Camera: Nikon FE (Photo by Jackie Ho) |
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JURASSIC
COAST Golden Cap is the highest point on England's south coast. It towers over wild beaches where the determined hunter can find some of the world's finest ammonite fossils. Camera: Nikon FE |
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IMILAC
STREWNFIELD In the heart of the Imilac strewnfield, hunting for pallasite meteorites. No roads, no trees, no cactus, no birds, no reptiles. Not even insects. The Atacama Desert is one of the driest places and most remote places on Earth. Camera: Yashica T4 Super (Photo by Jackie Ho) |
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ARCHES
NATIONAL MONUMENT Our team was given private access to Arches National Monument, Utah, and enjoyed an early morning guided tour by eminent geologist and impact specialist Walter Alvarez. Camera: Yashica T4 Super |
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KHATANGA
OUTPOST At a tiny airstrip in the largely abandoned Cold War-era Siberian outpost of Khatanga, our Russian Mi-8 helicopter was loaded, fueled, and prepped for our flight into the Popigai Crater. Camera: Nikon FE |
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GOLD
BASIN Brilliant colors and striking clouds greeted us as we arrived at the Gold Basin strewnfield for the first time. Camera: Nikon FE |
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ATACAMA
DESERT On the long road to Imilac, Steve and I often stopped to check our compasses and GPS against the frequently-incorrect road maps. Finding our way in the Atacama required a lot of guesswork. Camera: Nikon FE (Photo by Jackie Ho) |
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BRENHAM
STREWNFIELD Steve Arnold, Geoff Notkin, and Sonny Clary returning to base camp after a day hunting the Brenham strewnfield with ATVs and specialized metal detectors. Camera: Nikon 8700 |
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POPIGAI
CRATER After ten days inside the crater, and a temporary loss of radio contact with the helicopter base at Khatanga, everyone was somewhat relieved when the Mi-8 finally showed up to take us home — a full day late. Camera: Yashica T4 Super |
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LANG'S
QUARRY Hunting for fossil eurypterids at my friend Allan Lang's quarry in upstate New York. The quarry is some distance from Al's lab and workshop, so we make the trip on ATVs. Camera: Yashica T4 |
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KRASNOJARSK
On our way to the Tamyr Peninsula and the Popigai Crater, we spent a few days in the Siberian capital of Krasnojarsk, and took a boat trip on the Jennesy River, passing close to the spot where Pallas discovered the world's first pallasite (Krasnojarsk) Camera: Yashica T4 Super |
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AMMONITE
SPRINGS Beautiful pearlescent fossil ammonites from the Jurassic period are found in a muddy stream in the English west country. The water was extremely cold and I wore heavy waders for nine hours. Camera: Yashica T4 (Photo by Jackie Ho) |
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VACA
MUERTA A sun-bleached horse skeleton in the Vaca Muerta strewnfield reminded us that we were in a hostile and potentially dangerous land. Camera: Nikon FE |
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POPIGAI
CRATER During our raft trip through the crater we took a break on a beach of of river-polished pebbles that stretched as far as the eye could see. It was so remote I had the sense of standing in a spot where no other person had ever been. Camera: Nikon FE |
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TEMPIUTE
MOUNTAIN An international team of noted impact specialists assembled in Nevada, including Jay Melosh, Christian Koeberl, Victor Masiatis, and Matt Morgan. We were guided through the Alamo impact breccia sites by Professor John Warme, who had also been with me on the 1999 Siberia expedition. Camera: Yashica T4 Super |
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IMILAC
STREWNFIELD We arrived at Imilac with only a few minutes to go before sunset. Even before we'd set up the tents, Steve and I had found our first small pallasites. Camera: Yashica T4 Super (Photo by Jackie Ho) |
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ODESSA
CRATER A view looking outwards from the center of the Odessa meteorite crater at sunset, Ector County, Texas. Camera: Yashica T4 |
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POPIGAI
CRATER Our cross-crater raft voyage was expected to take four or five hours. It took seventeen. The water level in the river was extremely low and we had to get out and drag the rafts for miles. When there was water, we all took turns rowing and punting. Camera: Yashica T4 Super (Photo by Jon Gallant) |
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GOLD
BASIN Even in the winter, the Gold Basin strewnfield is a hot and rugged place to hunt. We carried enough water and supplies for a full day in the field. It was a long hike back to base camp. Camera: Yashica T4 |
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POPIGAI
CRATER An old Russian army tent came with us in the helicopter. It doubled as mess tent and lecture room. Every evening, after dinner, we'd gather for a briefing on the next day's mission, followed by plenty of vodka and Russian brandy. Camera: Nikon FE |
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IMILAC
STREWNFIELD At 11,000 feet, the sun was extremely strong. We had to cover up and wear sunscreen to protect ourselves from UV light and the relentless wind. Camera: Nikon FE (Photo by Jackie Ho) |
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MARAK
GHOST TOWN On our way back to civilization after ten days inside the Popigai Crater, our helicopter made a risky landing atop a soggy hill surrounded by swamps. We hiked some distance in order to visit the Siberian ghost town of Marak. Camera: Yashica T4 Super |
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PAN
DE AZUCAR We camped on the beautiful half-moon beach of Pan de Azucar and were taken by a fisherman to see Humboldt penguins far offshore. While at sea, we discovered a stowaway: a small cat had fallen asleep under the folded sail. He was quite distressed by all that water, but we got him safely back to shore. Camera: Yashica T4 Super (Photo by Jackie Ho) |
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POPIGAI
CRATER After several days at Base Camp 1, we moved the entire expedition through the center of the Popigai Crater to the site of Base Camp 2 on two inflatables, and one log raft. Note mosquito net helmets worn on deck by all hands! Camera: Nikon FE |
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PAMPA
STREWNFIELD Pampa is the site of numerous stone meteorite finds. Prior to taking our truck down into the vast, sandy depression, Steve checked the ground for solidity and radioed back on the walkie-talkie. It didn't help. The truck got stuck and it took us hours to dig out. Camera: Nikon FE (Photo by Jackie Ho) |
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POPIGAI
CRATER On our eighth day inside the crater, the sun came up and a strong breeze blew away most of the angry Siberian mosquitoes. I took the opportunity for a bracing swim in the icy Rassokha River. Note flyswatter for protection! (Photo © Roy Gallant) |
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ATACAMA
DESERT The only road sign for two hundred miles: 60 km north to the famous pallasite strewn field; 25 km west to the famous meteorite crater. What's a meteorite hunter to do? Camera: Nikon FE |
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JURASSIC
COAST England's stark Jurassic Coast is an International Heritage Site, and known the world over for its beautiful ammonite fossils. Seminal British paleontologist Mary Anning discovered the world's first ichthyosaur near this very spot. Camera: Yashica T4 (Photo by Jackie Ho) |
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POPIGAI
CRATER Camped on a small pebble island in the Rassokha River, I am standing in front of the "Painted Rocks," an entire cliff face of meteoritic breccia, deep within the gigantic Popigai Crater. Note mosquito helmet and gloves. The insects were constantly at war with us. Camera: Yashica T4 Super (Photo by Rusty Johnson) |
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The Aerolite Meteorites Expedition Scrapbook features
original photography by Geoffrey Notkin. |