West Texas Meteorite Hunt

Robert Ward

Mike Farmer

Shauna Russell

Phil Mani

Robert Ward

Robert Woolard Jr.

Greg Hupe

Oriented West

Meteorite hunters celebrate another successful day Friday in the field near West, Texas. Pictured left to right: Sonny Clary, Patrick Thompson, THE Steve Arnold, Geoff Notkin, John Sinclair, Jim Schwade, Rob Wesel, Jason Philips, Ruben Garcia.

50 gram West Meteorite found by Michael Farmer Saturday February 28, 2009.

Mike Miller with two new West finds. Weight of West Meteorite in lower right corner is 210 grams. Click thumbnail image below to enlarge.

Mike Bandli holding a bag of meteorites by the West sign.

West individual that Mike found imbedded in the dirt.

Rob Wesel and Hopper the Dog

Ruben & Hopper

Ruben's 30 gram fully crusted West

Mike Morgan, Ruben Garcia and Del Waterbury in front of West, Texas sign!

From left to right: Jim Schwade, John Sinclair, Patrick Thompson, and Jason Phillips getting pointers from Hopper the Dog

Credit and copyright Rob Wesel, Nakhla Dog Meteorites

Found east of West by Geoffrey Notkin: thirteen brand new visitors to planet Earth, comprising one quarter stone, one half stone, and eleven complete individuals, five of which display distinct orientation. Note the grass stalks plastered onto the larger specimen

[top right] at the time of impact.

Photograph by Leigh Anne DelRay © Aerolite Meteorites

A 7 gram West meteorite that is not so fresh!

Bird Turd-rite

Ruben Garcia's very last find. A 12.6 gram perfect stone with 100% crust.

Ruben and Hopper sandwiched between Pauline and Mitch (Hopper's owners) During a photo shoot for a local Newspaper.

Robert Woolard Jr. with his second West meteorite find. It is a 48 gram stone.

A .25 gram part slice of West meteorite showing fine detail

Mike Miller showing off his 212 gram West Stone

Rob Wesel holding up his newly found "Holy Stone"

Maureen examining Rob's "Holy Stone"

Recovering from a hard days work at the local West Steakhouse. Counter

Clockwise from Right: Gary Curtiss, Matt Morgan, Steve Arnold, Geoff Notkin,

Patrick Thompson, Mike Bandli, John Sinclair, Rob Wesel, and Jason Phillips.

Photo courtesy Mike Bandli

Rob Wesel with Hopper and Hopper stone.

Photo courtesy Ruben Garcia

A collection of six complete meteorites found by Mike Bandli in West, Texas.

John Sinclair showing some children of West what made all that noise on

February 15th - Their first rock from space. Photo courtesy Mike Bandli.

Michael Farmer and 1.7 kilo West Meteorite

1.7 kilo West Meteorite

Greg hupe and Michael Farmer with large west stone

Derek Bower and wife with several newly found West specimens.

Dr. Art Ehlmann in the West, Texas, strewn field on 3.8.9, with a

newly-recovered 35 gram complete individual. Though he didn't recover this stone himself, he was standing with the property owner who did find it at the very moment of discovery. At the sprite age of 80, Art worked the field from sunrise to sunset with the stamina of a 30-year-old. The smile on his face in this image says it all!"

10.32 gram oriented West meteorite

Found by a barn on John and Gary Enders

property by Michael Farmer March 10, 2009

1500 gram West as found by land owner day of the fall.

42 gram West Texas meteorite found on March 15th, 2009. It was the only one Greg Stanley found in two days, but it sure is a beauty. It is chipped and the shock veins can be seen clearly. Greg found this one in only 10 minutes into his second day of hunting. In the background you can see “Hopper” the meteorite hunting dog playing with one of the cows.

9.8 gram West

Suzanne Morrison's 194-gram oriented West, Texas individual in situ.

Suzanne Morrison with her two largest West finds.

West (Ash Creek)

6 gram complete individual with pristine silky fusion crust, thumb-printing and lipping on one side. Fell February 15, 2009. West, Texas. (L6) Found March 2, 2009 and entered into the Michael Johnson Collection March 7, 2009.