FSHS alumnus brings meteorite to school

TOP " Fort Scott High School alumnus Steve Arnold returns to Fort Scott on Friday to visit with high school students about the meteorite he unearthed near Haviland in 2005. Arnold shares with the students details about his career path in addition to the details of his find.

A Fort Scott High School alumnus and professional meteorite hunter showcased his 1,400 lb. meteorite at FSHS and at the Fort Scott Middle School Friday.

Fort Scott students assembled outside both schools to visit with Steve Arnold about the meteorite that he had discovered. Arnold’s meteorite is the largest pallasite ever recovered in North America and the largest oriented pallasite ever discovered, according to a press release from the Brenham Meteorite Company, www.BrenhamMeteoriteCompany.com.

Arnold’s Web site, www.worldrecordmeteorite.comsaid that a pallasite is an extremely rare type of meteorite, which makes up only one percent of all meteorites discovered. These meteorites are beautiful on the inside the Web site said.

“Pallasites are packed with beautiful translucent crystals of olivine (the semi-precious gemstone peridot) suspended in a nickel-iron matrix and are thought to have formed at the core/mantle boundary of an ancient celestial body,” the Web site said.

An oriented meteorite, according to Arnold’s Web site, is a meteorite that does not break up under the force of the pressure in the atmosphere and it does not spin as it approaches the planet at speeds as high as 17 miles per second.

“A very few meteorites maintain the same orientation as they burn through our atmosphere and acquire a conical, rounded or bullet shape as a result of melting and ablation. These shield or rocket nose-shaped meteorites are extremely rare and are described as oriented. Oriented meteorites are sought after by collectors for their beauty and rarity,” the Web site said.

In October of 2005, Arnold dug up a pallasite meteorite from about seven-and-a-half feet under a wheat field near Haviland. The meteorite is so big that Arnold had to use a back hoe in order to dig it out, he said. The land where the rock was found is owned by Allen and Mary Binford. Arnold partnered up with his friend Phil Mani, who is a geologist and an oil and gas attorney, in order to be able to afford the cost of hunting for the rock, he said.

Before Arnold unearthed the meteorite, at Mani’s urging, he first purchased a lease to hunt from the land owners, he said.

“Since we were preparing to invest multiple tens of thousands of dollars " and hundreds of hours " into the project, we set up these leases to protect both the land owners and our investment. With wheat planting about to begin, we had to hurry " not only to get the leases, but to start hunting as well,” Arnold said.

Arnold said that even though searching for meteorites was a hobby at first, he has been hunting them professionally for the last 15 years. At first, he said he tied a magnet to the end of a broomstick in order to locate the space objects, but he later began using a metal detector to find the meteorites that were lodged beneath the ground. According to Arnold, the metal detector that he must use is eight feet wide. The equipment that Arnold uses to track down his meteorites can become extremely costly, he said.

Arnold said he must spend a lot of time researching before he goes into the field. He said that the research saves him time. When he begins to do his hunting, this research can help him make a good decision as to where a meteorite may be found, he said.

Arnold said that most meteorite hunters become collectors of the rocks, but he does not usually keep his findings. He said that everything he has is for sale. Since the 1,400 lb. pallasite meteorite that Arnold recovered was found in Kansas, he is hoping that someone from Kansas will purchase the meteorite when it goes to auction on Oct. 28 in New York.

While in Fort Scott, Arnold encouraged the FSHS students to attend college to see if that is the right path for them.

FSHS science teacher Karen Curran said that she and the students enjoyed Arnold’s visit to the high school.

AT RIGHT " Arnold crouches beside the Brenham meteorite in order for the students to use him for visual comparison to get a clearer idea of how big it is. Arnold’s meteorite will be placed on the auction block on Oct. 28 in New York. He said the meteorite could bring as much as $1 million.

“We were thrilled to have Steve display the meteorite here at his alma mater and so glad he was able to take the time to answer questions about his endeavors around the world. We’re all anxious to find out just how much it goes for at the auction on the 28th. I think he captivated the students’ attention when he told them that it might bring over a million dollars at the auction. I think it's pretty cool to tell people that I know a world famous meteorite hunter...and he's from my home town! I bet we'll continue to see him on television and I plan on checking in on his Web site to see what else he's uncovered,” she said.