Two time Emmy Award-winning television host and producer Geoff Notkin starred in three seasons of the hit television adventure series Meteorite Men for Science Channel, and two seasons of the educational series STEM Journals for Cox Media. He has also appeared in shows for Discovery, NASA EDGE, TLC, PBS, A&E, National Geographic Channel, History Channel, Travel Channel, and the BBC. He is an internationally-published science writer, a meteorite specialist, photographer, world traveler, managing director of Notkin Rock & Fossil, and founder of Aerolite Meteorites.
Geoff has appeared on Coast to Coast, Varney & Co, the Today show, and has been interviewed by The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, the BBC World Service, Space.com, Universe Today and many other leading media outlets.
He is also a film producer and actor and his credits include "Neil Gaiman: Dream Dangerously," "Radio Free Albemuth," "First to the Moon," "Revenge of Zoe," and "The Love Song of William H. Shaw."
Hi guys, I am from Warwickshire England,, ive been metal detecting for about 10 years, I've got 4 stone's I've found that looks just like meteorites,, how can I get them tested please Help me 🤔😉
This made me so happy! How genuinely satisfying and entertaining! You guys have just the right amount of drama and humor, and I learn something in every episode. I gotta learn to do this, can't wait to find out where that training field is! The experience is something I'd love to share with my daughter
I got a meteorite from the guys way back when. I'm a rockhound. I plotted an area in a nearby state to search, & from watching these shows, I'll know how to search..
Believe me ... we were too! We didn't get to see the cut and prepared rock (or know what it was) until we met Dr. Garvie in the lab. It was very exciting and it is -- I think -- quite rare to be able to generate some real suspense like that in unscripted TV. But we did always try to keep it real. It was one of my conditions for developing the show. The people in my field are very smart and it would be obvious to them if something was fake or planted. Also, neither Steve nor I would have considered doing a show that wasn't real to our work and ourselves. We were fortunate that we worked with such a good production company, LMNO, and network -- Science / Discovery -- as they all shared our desire to make an authentic science and adventure show.
You're so welcome! Thank you for watching. I will say (don't tell anyone) that Season 1 was my favorite, but there were plenty of great moments in 2 and 3. Cheers.
I was sent to a wilderness therapy program in January 2011. It was in Utah, and we stayed very close to the perimeter of this area. One night, i was lying halfway out of my tarp shelter. I saw what i processed to be a comet or meteor streaking across the sky, but like, VERY close to me. We were on a mountain, and i saw it shoot across at the level where the horizon met the ground of the mountain i was lying on. It lit up the whole sky. Like a giant fireball. When staff came to my shelter, i was freaking out and asking them about the meteor and they just looked at me strangely and said they didn’t see anything. I asked if they saw the sky get bright or anything and they told me they hadn’t. I asked if they were shining flashlights over in the area i had seen the light, and they said no, they had been in the other direction. None of the other campers saw anything either. It doesn’t even make sense what happened, but I saw something that looked like fire fill the whole sky with light as it quickly shot across the horizon. And it was right outside this site. To note: i didn’t feel or hear anything make an impact
Extraordinary! What a marvelous description, thank you. If a meteorite does land close to you, observers typically report hearing loud "thunder" or a sound like cannons as it slows down in the atmosphere and / or fragments. So, it it was a fireball (potential meteorite) that you saw -- which sounds likely to me -- it might have burned up or landed further away than it seemed. Either way, I am enthusiastically envious of your experience. Thank you for posting -- Geoff
pak tlong penjelasannya batu ap yg aku dapat ini,,bentuk bulat gepeng,warna hitam ngk menyala,waktu aku tes hancurin pke palu ngk hncur dn lecet,ada videoku diyoutb ..judulnya batu keras warna hitam splk kuning
Geoff Your videos always interesting.. I am from India. Before two years I watched a meteorite falling in my garden with a loud bang. The fusion crust is of gray color. Inside the rock I saw metal ores likely of platinum, and i picked up few impact pure white glasses also. Many gem like small rocks were also still there. Small iron meteorites also I saw and have them now. How to send to you for testing?
Not quite. You need a permit to operate a metal detector in Sweden. The purpose is to protect abundant Viking-era burial sites and other ancient or historic artifacts. Actually, quite sensible.
Hey Geoff, it's an honor! I respect your point of view but I'm from America so I don't quite see it that way. Makes me wonder what I kept thinking when I watched this episode. How in the hell were a couple of commercial meteorite dealers like you and Steve able to come in and remove valuable meteorites from the country to then sell for profit. Doesn't sound like something this country would allow you to do. Meteorite treasure doesn't seem that much different than Viking-era treasure. People are selling both for profit.
Thank you for the reply! Well, you do ask a most interesting and important question about value and ownership. In most countries it is legal to search for meteorites, just as it is for gold or diamonds. You don't need a permit for a detector here in the States and people look for lost rings and watches on the beach, gold nuggets in the wilds, and everything in between. Is there a difference? I suppose so, because meteorites potentially have scientific value and old rings probably do not. But ... there are already *many* Muonionalustua in academic collections and it has been fully examined and described. I don't believe there is any need or interest in futher academic study on that meteorite. Except, perhaps, for the fascinating topic of its post-fall dispersal by glacial action, and finding more pieces helps shed light on that unique situation. So, the authorities in Sweden evidently do not feel that any scientific value is being lost by commercial or private hunting in the Muonionalusta strewnfield. And we do ALWAYS abide by local laws and regulations. It's the right thing to do, but you also -- obviously -- can't do anything illegal on a Discovery series that aired on all seven continents ; ) I guess my answer to the Sweden question is: "Because we're allowed to." Meteorite hunting is not regulated in Sweden, except for the issue of the detector permits, so if we're willing to put in the time (hundreds of hours) hunting and digging, and the expense of traveling to such a very remote location, is it okay for us to keep or sell what we find? If we don't find them, somebody else will. I'm not being argumentative : ) It's a very interesting topic. Another thing to consider: If meteorites are not recovered, they will eventually -- 100% and without a doubt -- decay into nothing, over time, in Earth's moist atmosphere. And many or perhaps most academics, with their teaching, publishing, and research responsibilities do not have the time or resources to go out in the field and do what we do. In fact, I once had the opportunity (thanks to Steve) to take a very famous academic out in the field and help him find his very first ever meteorite. And he was in his eighties! It was an amazing experience. Also, in some of our most significant episodes (Gold Basin, Morasko, Whitecourt Crater II, Odessa Crater), we donated every piece we found to the relevant museum or academic institution. And here's something I think you'll approve of: The largest Muonionalusta we found in Season Two -- 69 lbs -- is still in my collection and will never be cut up or sold as long as I live. Oh ... and did I mention the expense of shipping them back from Sweden? I paid for that ; ) I really appreciate the intelligent observations and questions. Please follow up if you wish. Cheers and respect -- Geoff
@GeoffNotkin Very interesting. I just assumed that because you and Steve are kind of "Celebrities" , maybe you were able to get some special permission to remove the meteorites. I'm surprised their laws are as liberal as they are. I guess this is considered to be a very abundant and common meteorite. It's actually my favorite meteorite. I don't collect meteorites but they fascinate me. I do collect watches and I have a few with this meteorite as the dial. Don't get me wrong, I am on your side. I collect dinosaur teeth and have been for about 25 years. So the arguments you were making about why meteorites should be collected and not left in the ground, I hear you brother and agree with you 100%! I don't believe as many profession/academics believe that only they should be able to enjoy these beautiful natural wonders. The way you feel about meteorites, I feel about dinosaur teeth. They are absolutely beautiful works of nature. Thanks for responding to me. It's been a real treat talking to you.
Geoff makes a joke about a UFO. But the "non joke" may be that this type of meteorite may in fact be a UFO that crashed having burnt up and exploded as it got nearer the ground. This could account for the more uniform composition of the metal from the pieces found and also how the strewn field does not match that of other normal meteorites.
Hey Geoff, it’s your friend Vanessa! ;) I am curious if you guys were ever able to go back to check out those further south “mystery crater(s)”? Maybe someone else has gone out to examine & document that area in the last 3 years?
Actually, yes we did, but the camera crew was not in the country, so it didn't make it to the episode. The site was fascinating. There were significant indentations in the group that could well have been craters. And the ground returned the same specific signal as Henbury meteorites (on the detectors). But we were unable to locate even tiny fragments. It remains a mystery. Great question, BTW!
You are made of stern stuff! We salute you. It was pretty mild in comparison when we were there. The problem was, the meteorite at Buzzard Coulee were on the small side and quickly covered by even a modest snowfall. Be safe out there!
Rene-Levasseur Island...Canada I read some things and then they say it's from a meteorite strike..on satellite it looks suspicious on my weather channel radar app is where I found it and it looks artificial...and the Meteorite men never mention it...please help a long time subscriber to understand this
