[BR-Crater] [Stratofox Team]For those NOT going to Crater Assault 3 at Black Rock next weekend

[David Goodin]

For anyone NOT going, there will be a rocket pack demonstration at the
Hiller Museum next week end. This is a model of rocket pack just like the
Bell Rocket pack as seen in "James Bond" and "Lost in Space". I saw this in
person when our family went to Disneyland in 1965. IT was way cool then, and
I'm sure it's just as cool now.
Dave KI6KGP

-----Original Message-----
From: team-bounces at stratofox.org [mailto:team-bounces at stratofox.org] On
Behalf Of Ian Kluft
Sent: Monday, September 01, 2008 1:19 AM
To: Stratofox Team private discussion; Stratofox invitees; Black Rock crater
discussion
Subject: [Stratofox Team] Crater Assault 3 at Black Rock next weekend

I think we got enough positive responses for a trip to Black Rock.  So far
Heather Stern KG6ZYC and Tom White KG6BRK responded positively.  That's more
than enough to meet the safety rule not to go alone. :-)  Let's plan for
"Crater Assault 3" on Sept 5-7.  Of course, if anyone else is mulling over
their schedules to see if you can come along, let us know.

The point to this trip will be searching for evidence of the impact crater
theory at Black Rock, and a fun camping trip.  We'll still plan for
Stratofox 5 to be on Sept 26-28 or weather alternates in any of the
following weekends after that.  At Stratofox 5, the emphasis will be
exploration and recreation.  Stratofox invitees may use either of these
events to participate and qualify for full membership.

Everyone who's going gets a voice in the planning.  I have something
scheduled for mid-day Friday.  But we've usually used the Friday as a
travel day before - so I can reschedule my appointment for another day
if we want to do that.  But if others want to depart Friday afternoon
or evening then I'll keep my appointment as it is.

The impact crater research has been stalled this year probably mostly
because
people didn't want to travel much due to high fuel prices.  But besides fuel
prices coming down, here's another boost to the crater research...

Discover Magazine arranged a phone interview with me, which we did on
Thursday.  For the Black Rock crater research, I've been selected for what
sounds like a brief mention in the December issue where they're talking
about 10 amateur scientists, as a part of about 100 featured research topics
from 2008 to be highlighted in that issue.  I'm pleasantly surprised since
I didn't think we'd collected enough info yet to get any recognition.
I said that my friends are helping me with this - but since they'll probably
just name me, I'll make sure everyone who helps at all with this gets credit
by name on my web site for your help.  I was already doing that anyway, but
I need to make a bigger point of it now.

Of course, bring up any suggestions you have.  I had more things I wanted
to look at after last time at the Stratofox 4 trip a year ago.  I've been
waiting a year to get another visit to Upper High Dry lakebed.  We were
able to follow the grain/direction of parallel fractures in the rocks over
vast areas up to where the widths of the fractures kept getting thinner.
Then they would keep coming to an end as we hit the boundary layer between
the fractured rocks and the breccia (broken, jumbled and re-cemented) rocks
above them.  At the thinnest, the fractured rocks were getting to about
1-2 mm wide in places, such as in this photo...
   http://www.stratofox.org/pics/sf4-200708/ian/rocks/img_9959.jpg

It seems to me that we just needed more time looking around that area and
further north into the Black Rock Range.  If the pattern of narrowing the
width of the parallel fractures continues any more, then that's where I'd
want to look for shatter cones, hopefully ones which geologists consider
acceptable.  Any shatter cones would be proof that an impact took place
there.  (It's the only way to prove an impact without an electron
microscope,
which is why I want to do this kind of search first.  Finding shatter cones
would attract the attention of geologists.)

Actually, if that hunch pans out, then I think some of the rocks we saw
last year could turn out to have been low-grade shatter cones, particularly
in the place where the fractures got only 1-2 mm wide.  It was starting to
look right and then ended at the breccia boundary right there.

So for that part we'll be doing some 4x4'ing and some hiking.

_______________________________________________
Team mailing list
Team at stratofox.org
http://www.stratofox.org/mailman/listinfo/team
Material on this list is confidential. Obtain permission before releasing.