4/28/19 Report - Melted Beer Can or Space Debris? Some Answers and Tests You Can Perform.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.


I just received an excellent email from Jerry P. on those melted pieces of white metal that people find on the beach.  Here it is.


Aluminum or Space Poop by Jerry P.

It’s been called melted beer cans, space poop, space platinum, NASA trash. So is it space debris or beer cans? This is a debate that has been going on for years within our group of beach hunters. All I can do is add to the puzzle and maybe someone can put this dog to rest.

If you detect the beach long enough you will eventually pull a piece of what appears to be aluminum or titanium melted by super high temperature. Aluminum has a melting point of 1,220.58 F or 660.32 C and titanium 3034 F or 1668 C. A bonfire, at it’s highest temperature, if constructed correctly, can burn as high as 2012 F or 1100 C plenty hot enough to melt aluminum but not titanium. You maybe thinking slam dunk, case closed it’s melted beer cans. Hold on the dilemma is not over yet. Rockets are made of light weight materials like titanium and aluminum. Rocket propellant, under a controlled manner, burns at around 5,800 F or 3,200 C. This is plenty hot enough to melt aluminum and titanium. This temperature is based on a controlled burn within the rocket engine. If the lunch had an unexpected “anomaly” then these propellant would be mixed in an uncontrolled burn/explosion which could result in much higher temperatures. We are back to square one!

I detect with an old machine (sovereign gt) and it just talks to me. Aluminum has a distinct sound on the sovereign and the one thing that I notice about these melted pieces is that they sound something between aluminum and silver. This tells me it’s not aluminum and must be another type of metal.

A bonfire test is in order. I stoked a fire in the backyard pit and waited for it to get good and hot before adding some aluminum cans. I let the fire burn overnight with the cans inside. In the morning I took my inland machine (AT Pro), pinpointer and a sifting screen to retrieve all metal targets. The cans did melt or at least they changed their form however they did not look anything like the pieces we pull off the beach. They did not melt into a blob and were very thin and brittle. The pieces we pull off the beach are rock solid and can hardly be dented with a hammer.

I was starting to believe the beach pieces could very well be part of our space program or military missile defense program of which one is still ongoing today.

There are other things to consider like the Untied States Air force. They have a restricted military training zone just off our coast and could be firing air missiles. We also have our poorly constructed beach renourishment program to consider. Much of this renourishment sand comes from the offshore bars around Cape Canaveral. This would most differently support a space debris theory.

What solidified it for me was when I started pulling specimen pieces. These were pieces of the melted metal that have unique items embedded in them. Items that you don’t see at your average bonfire, some kind of thick quartz or crystals, rivets, orange and red tile like fragments and my best piece has both quartz/crystal and a small stainless steel spring embedded in it. Would love to hear if anyone has looked into these pieces. JP

      

----

Thanks much Jerry.  Great email!


Below is a related post that I did on 5/10/18.

Metal Glob Found On Beach
How can you tell if it is titanium?

There are a few questions that I get all the time.  One question that I get a lot is about those shiny globs of metal found on the beach that look like melted aluminum.  It could be aluminum but it could also be something else.

Sometimes space debris falls on the beach or in the ocean.  People often want to know if their shiny piece of metal could be a piece of space debris.

It can be difficult to say for sure, but there are tests that you can do to tell if a piece might be titanium or aluminum.  I once wrote about that a long time ago, but since I still get the question and have more information now, I decided to address the question again.

Here are some quick tips that can help you decide what you have.

Here are some easy tests to get started.  Titanium is not magnetic, so if a magnet sticks to it, it is not titanium.  However, aluminum is normally not magnetic either.  So that is only a beginning.

When it comes to telling titanium from aluminum, titanium is about twice as heavy as aluminum and much harder than aluminum.  If you use a metal file, aluminum will come off in small globs, but titanium will not.  It is relatively easy to scratch a mark on aluminum.

If you file down beyond the surface metal, the newly exposed surface of titanium will darker than a similar piece of aluminum.

If you used a rotary grinder on a piece of titanium, the sparks will be a blue-white color.
Here is a link to a web site that will give you more detail on these and other tests for testing titanium and other metals.

http://mrtitanium.info/2008/03/17/how-to-tell-if-a-piece-of-metal-is-really-titanium/

Titanium is used for a lot of applications these days. Everything from wheelchairs and bicycles to parts for rockets and wedding rings are made with titanium. If you find a ring that doesn't test gold or silver, it might be titanium.

Titanium isn't a very expensive metal. You can find current prices online.
 

Big pieces of space debris are occasionally found too.  Here is a link to an article about space debris including the above tank from the space shuttle Columbia that landed in Texas.

https://www.space.com/12518-space-shuttle-columbia-debris-texas.html

In 2015 a large piece of what looks like a piece of a Galileo rocket was found on the beach in Fort Lauderdale.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-lauderdale-rocket-debris-20150802-story.html

And in January of 2018 a part of a SpaceX rocket was found in South Carolina.

http://www.ibtimes.com/spacex-rocket-debris-found-south-carolina-amid-zuma-payload-mystery-photo-2641243

You never know what you might find, so it always helps to be able to test it out.

---

I know of at least one detectorist who contacted NASA and got confirmation that his find was a titanium space debris.  Of course that does not mean that all specimens are.

You might be able to find the post reporting on the person contacting NASA if you use the blog search box.

---

Bill P. just sent me an email suggesting XRF analysis.  I think that should do the job.

I did a post on XRF analysis recently but didn't think about it when I did this post.

Thanks Bill!

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

5/10/18 Report - Answering a Very Common Question. Titanium and Space Debris.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Metal Glob Found On Beach
How can you tell if it is titanium?

There are a few questions that I get all the time.  One question that I get a lot is about those shiny globs of metal found on the beach that look like melted aluminum.  It could be aluminum but it could also be something else.

Sometimes space debris falls on the beach or in the ocean.  People often want to know if their shiny piece of metal could be a piece of space debris.

It can be difficult to say for sure,but there are tests that you can do to tell if a piece might be titanium or aluminum.  I once wrote about that a long time ago, but since I still get the question and have more information now, I decided to address the question again.

Here are some quick tips that can help you decide what you have.

There are some easy tests to get started.  Titanium is not magnetic, so if a magnet sticks to it, it is not titanium.  However, aluminum is normally not magnetic either.  So that is only a beginner.

When it comes to telling titanium from aluminum, titanium is about twice as heavy as aluminum and much harder than aluminum.  If you use a metal file, aluminum will come off in small globs, but titanium will not.  It is relatively easy to scratch a mark on aluminum.

If you file down beyond the surface metal, the newly exposed surface of titanium will darker than a similar piece of aluminum.

If you used a rotary grinder on a piece of titanium, the sparks will be a blue-white color.

Here is a link to a web site that will give you more detail on these and other tests for testing titanium and other metals.

http://mrtitanium.info/2008/03/17/how-to-tell-if-a-piece-of-metal-is-really-titanium/


Titanium is used for a lot of applications these days. Everything from wheelchairs and bicycles to parts for rockets and wedding rings are made with titanium. If you find a ring that doesn't test gold or silver, it might be titanium.

Titanium isn't a very expensive metal. You can find current prices online.

Big pieces of space debris are occasionally found too.  Here is a link to an article about space debris including the above tank from the space shuttle Columbia that landed in Texas.

https://www.space.com/12518-space-shuttle-columbia-debris-texas.html

In 2015 a large piece of what looks like a piece of a Galileo rocket was found on the beach in Fort Lauderdale.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-lauderdale-rocket-debris-20150802-story.html

And in January of 2018 a part of a SpaceX rocket was found in South Carolina.

http://www.ibtimes.com/spacex-rocket-debris-found-south-carolina-amid-zuma-payload-mystery-photo-2641243

You never know what you might find, so it always helps to be able to test it out.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

10/2/16 Report - Hurricane and Surf Predictions For The Treasure Coast. Metal Pieces Found On Island Paradise.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of TreasureBeachesReport.blogspot.com.

Beautiful Island Photo
Submitted by Alberto (see below).

The first thing I want to do today is give an update on Matthew.  The Sunday 2 PM shows the following cone.

Sunday 2 PM Upate
Source: nhc.noaa.gov

There have been a few updates since I last posted a picture of the cone.  There has been little change in the past day or so.

The southern part of the path is a little more to the east than it was. Earlier they had it tracking over a broader area of Cuba.  Now it is just hitting the tip of Haiti and Cuba.  When it gets up by Florida, it staying a little farther east also.  I have no complaint about that.

As far as the strength, it is projected to be above 110 mph until it gets into the northern Bahamas, then it is predicted to weaken a little.

I'm making a lot out of very small changes.  There is still a lot of uncertainty in the whole thing.  Notice that the western edge of the cone of uncertainty still touches the East Coast of Florida.  We'll have to keep watching.

Source: Magic SeaWeed.com.

There are some slight changes in the surf predictions too.  Now Fort Pierce is predicted to get up to 9 feet.  That is less than was predicted the past couple of days, but it is still a good bit.  We'll have to see how it lines up with the tides etc.  I sort of expected these changes.  I've often commented on how big long-range surf predictions tend to moderate as they get closer in time.

Another change, though, is that now we are predicted to get four to six feet for a few days after the peak surf.  That could either help or hurt, depending up on the direction of the wind.  Without looking at that in detail, I'd suspect that it means that cuts will fill in not too long after they happen.  Again, that depends upon the direction of the wind and waves.

---

I got an email  from Alberto S. that included the beautiful photo at the top of the post and the following message.

I have found over time items that look that at some point were pendants etc what I have not been able to figure out is the melted condition I find them in or at least they look like they have melted. One I even found in the San Blas Islands in Panama, while fishing in the area with my brother in law who is from Panama. I could only detect for about 45 minutes near one of the islands because my brother in law was nervous that the Kuna Indians still ruling these islands could get upset. Any feedback would be appreciated. I attached some pics of the items and the island I detected for a brief time. Beautiful place indeed. 

Great photo Alberto!

Here is a another photo Alberto.  This one from a plane.

Photo submitted by Alberto S.

And below are the metal pieces Alberto was asking about.

Pieces of Metal Questioned by Alberto
Photo by Alberto S.

I get a lot of questions about bits of metal like this.  The very smooth shiny ones look like melted aluminum to me.  We get those on the Treasure Coast too.

There are YouTube videos showing aluminum melting in camp fires.

On the Treasure Coast we also occasionally get bits of melted titanium from space vehicles.  Readers have contacted NASA and had that verified.  In my 2/23/13 post you can learn more about that, including tests that will tell you if the metal is titanium.

Some of the other bits look like slag to me.  Slag is a waste product of smelted metals.  I detect pieces like that more up in West Virginia.

I always recommend getting metals that might be either silver, gold or platinum tested by a jeweler or pawn shop of you don't have your own test materials.

Hope that helps.

Keep watching Matthew.
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/13/14 Report - How Objects Sink During Summer Beach Conditions. Valuable Antique Jewelry. H. L. Hunley Submarine. Titanium On Beach

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.BlogSpot.com.

Antique Diamond and Ruby Ring.
Source: See aol.com link below.

I'm often asked about those light pieces of melted metal that people find along the coast.   They look a lot like aluminum.  I believe that many of those are titanium.   I've posted about that in the past.  Since I still get questions about those finds, here is a little repeat of what I said.

If you've ever dug up a piece of metal that looks something like melted aluminum on a Treasure Coast beach, it could be titanium from a rocket or maybe the space shuttle Challenger disaster.

Here is a link to a web site that tells how to identify titanium.

http://mrtitanium.info/2008/03/17/how-to-tell-if-a-piece-of-metal-is-really-titanium/

As you might know, titanium is also used to make inexpensive jewelry these days and is much less expensive than platinum, gold or silver.



Below is a beach photo that I showed a few days ago.  I'm showing it again as an illustration.

Recent Treasure Coast Beach Picture.

A few days ago a lifeguard told me about a diamond engagement ring that was lost a few days earlier.  He said the lady was in knee deep water at the time.  He also said that even though the ring was lost a few days before, the water had been calm.  He was thinking it would still be about where it was lost since the water had been so calm.

 

What the lifeguard did not understand is the poor sandy beach conditions in that area.  Despite the generally very calm surf, things were not staying near the surface, but rather were quickly sinking our of detector range.

 

The wave in the above photo is not as big as it looks.  It wasn't much more than about a foot.  It is breaking nicely and from its form you couldn't tell it from a ten foot wave. 

 

What I want to point out is that where the red line is, the crashing water will churn the sand even though the surf is small.  Furthermore, the line of impact will move as the tide goes in and out so that the red line will move ten or twenty yards or more in and out twice a day.  Not only that but the area in front of the crashing wave, between the red and yellow line has surging water which will move the sand and keep it from settling.  That means sand will be accumulating from the red line to the yellow line and a little beyond.   That is what happens during a summer beach.

 

So even though the water looks very calm, it won't take long for an object like a ring to be buried.  It is partly a matter of the ring sinking and partly a matter of  it being covered.  The sand in this area is loose and the apparent sinking happens at a fairly rapid rate.

 

As I have pointed out in the past.   It takes more water force to move some objects than others.  I'm talking about horizontal movement now, not vertical.

 

It takes very little water movement to move sand, especially when it has been suspended, as it would be by the crashing wave.

 

The fact that it takes little force to move sand but considerably more to move something like a ring, which is more dense,but which also is shaped in a way that does not provide good surface area to the water to push against, what happens is that the sand moves faster around the curved object, letting the object sink through the loose sand while at the same time moving more sand in to cover it up.

 

There is what I call a trigger point for different objects.   The trigger point (amount of water force need to move an object) for sand is much lower than the trigger point for an object like a ring.   That is much of what accounts for objects like rings sinking quickly in sand when the force of water is slight.  That is what basically what happens during poor beach conditions.

 

The trigger point is determined not only by an objects weight or density, but also by its shape.  I've demonstrated that by experiments in the past.

 

Here is one link to reference.  You can search for others.

 

http://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/search?q=trigger

 

Above is a picture of an antique diamond and ruby ring worth $80,000.  Use this link to learn more about the ring and a matching $160,000 bracelet

http://www.aol.com/article/2014/08/12/antiques-roadshow-diamond-and-ruby-jewelry-worth-a-fortune/20945611/


The H. L. Hunley being conserved.

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20140812/PC16/140819871/1177/scientists-to-begin-exposing-the-real-hunley

Nice picture and article.


There is no tropical weather to watch in the Atlantic.

On the Treasure Coast the tides are still fairly big, but the surf is still around one foot and will remain that small for several days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net

3/1/14 Report - DeSoto's Pigs, Parade of Generations, Unintended Consequences and Returned Ring

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.



Want to know what to do next weekend?  If you want to have a blast, try the Treasure Coast Archaeological Society Club hunt on March 8 in Wabasso.




DeSoto landed on the west coast of Florida in 1539 having never experienced much other than success before that.  He was rich and famous and ready for a new conquest, but after three years in Florida he died after losing his entire fortune and reputation.

He landed on what would become the Sunshine State with nine ships and six hundred men.  What remained of DeSoto's possessions when he died 77 years before the Mayflower landed was two slaves, three horses, and seven hundred pigs.  The pigs were auctioned to the few survivors of the expedition who promised to pay with the gold they would find in Florida.

Not too long ago I awoke one morning to find my yard and my neighbor's yards randomly plowed up.  The villain, feral hogs.

One newspaper headline read, 500,000 Feral Hogs Causing Problems in Florida. After 500 years in the wild the feral hogs have migrated into at least 35 states and as far north as Canada.

I'm now of the stage of life when many of my old friends are gone, and of course my grandparents and one of my parents, and many of the people that I've known along the way have also departed.  Many departed young and well before their time.  But one of the things that you can't appreciate until you reach that time of life is the parade of generations that steps onto and then after a short time depart the stage of history.

For those of you who like to find old things, let me suggest that it is more about the people than the things.  You might get a lot more out of an old find if you stop and think how it got there, who it was that used it, what they did, and even how they might have affected you.  Let your imagination run.  It might be more accurate than you think.

I never would have guessed how DeSoto might have affected my front yard in the 21st Century.  And we don't usually think about how a small thoughtless word or deed might have some unintended consequence on someone somewhere today, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year or even centuries later.

We do many things intending to have some direct demonstrable impace, maybe on our children, spouse friend or neighbor, often without any apparent result.   It might be the unintended consequences though, that range far and wide, spreading an unrecognized or unknown effect far greater than anything we ever imagined.  It might be any of our little unconsidered words or deeds that turns out to be unimaginably important.


A unique titanium polka dot wedding band was lost on a Florida beach and found and returned nine months later.  Here is the link for the video and article.

http://www.wptv.com/news/state/les-grigsby-gets-unique-titanium-wedding-ring-back-9-months-after-losing-it-at-venice-beach

Thanks to Jorge Y. for submitting the link.


As news of the Russian invasion of the Ukraine spread Friday the price of precious metals dropped.  I was surprised that the value of the dollar also dropped Friday.  However, both the price of precious metals and the Dow Jones Industrial Average began to trend up at the end of the trading day.  It is hard to figure out, but I'd be surprised if gold didn't increase in price as the result of the conflict, but I often don't get it right.


On the Treasure Coast the tides are getting pretty big.  You'll see some nice low tides and high high tides.

For Monday, up to a five foot surf is predicted.  That isn't near the nine foot surf that was predicted earlier but might do a little cutting.  The tides might help, but I'm not too hopeful because the wind is expected to be a little from the west by then and the surf will not quite be in the range of what usually does the job for us.

People sometimes ask me how they can support the blog.  The only thing that I suggest is spreading the word and send in photo and reports, links, finds, interests, comments and questions.

I still remember when I posted some of my first posts.  I didn't expect more than a half dozen readers but was surprised by how quickly people found the blog and became involved.  I don't do anything to publicize the blog myself, so it must be due to readers spreading the word. 

If you haven't noticed the hit counter shows well over 700,000 hits now.

It makes it much easier for me to do this blog when I hear from readers.

Thanks to all who contribute.


Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

2/23/13 - Space Debris, Disappearing Sand & More

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.



Jupiter Inlet Beach



John L. alerted me to the fact that half of the sand that was dumped on Jupiter Inlet beach not too long ago is almost half gone already.

As John pointed out this huge loss of sand as occurred with very calm seas.  If the seas had been rough at all, it would all be gone by now.

I had meant to point out that almost the same thing has occurred at Fort Pierce Inlet.  Much of the sand from the most recent renourishment project is gone there too.  It lasted longer than that at Jupiter though.

Although this is a colossal waste of tax payer dollars, when there are funds available for these projects the local governments feel they have to bring their share back into their community.  We just keep sending the money to Washington and then try to get some of it back.  The Federal debt seems very much like this sand that keeps getting dumped into the sea - a huge waste, but everyone wants to get their share.


John L. had found some pieces of titanium on a Palm Beach beach.  It isn't unusual to find those melted bits of titanium on the beach.

I've been talking about the research that comes after the find.  John was curious about the source of the titanium that he found and contacted NASA to find out if the source of the titanium he found could be determined.  Here is what NASA told him.

Please accept our apologies for this reply taking so long to get to you.  We’ve been attempting to locate someone who would have an answer to your question.  Unfortunately, there is no way to validate where the nuggets came from.  We appreciate you taking the time to write us about your interesting find.

You are encouraged to frequently visit http://www.nasa.gov  for the latest NASA news and information.  In addition, NASA invites you to consider using one or more of the following easy and convenient communications tools for receiving NASA Updates on the exciting work NASA is doing.

                                        

• For more information on NASA and Kennedy Space Center please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page at http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/about/information/faq.html

• Subscribe to E-mail Delivery – Simply go to www.nasa.gov, enter your e-mail address, set your delivery preferences, and choose your area(s) of interest.

• Receive Updates by RSS (Really Simple Syndication) – NASA Kennedy RSS Feeds are available athttp://www.nasa.gov/rss/kennedy_home_update.xml

• Join Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/NASAKennedy

• Like us on Facebook at https:// www.facebook.com/NASAKennedy

If you've been reading this blog very long you know that I have talked about the melted bits of titanium that are  found on our beaches.  I've commented that they might be from an exploded space shuttle, but it seems that even NASA can't say exactly where some of those pieces might have come from.  I suppose there could be multiple sources.  I can think of at least a couple of reasons they might not say even if they knew, but don't read too much into that.  I'm not suggesting some big conspiracy.

If the titanium came from a NASA vehicle, it would be considered US government property - not that they would have any interest in most of the small melted pieces that are usually found by detectorists.

There were times when NASA asked people to report and turn in pieces of exploded vehicles so they could gather any evidence that might help them determine what went wrong.  You might remember that in 1986 the space shuttle Challenger exploded and set off one of the largest search and recovery efforts ever, yet for many years after that parts of the Challenger washed up on Florida beaches.  In 1996, for example, two large pieces washed up on the beach near Cocoa.  If you want to read more about that, here is a link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster

At one time in this blog I posted a few tests for identifying titanium.  If interested, you can do a keyword search of this blog for "titanium."  There is a search box on the main page.

Thanks for sending NASA's response John.   Those NASA links could come in handy.

Ancient copper plates and gold coins were discovered in India.

http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/ancient-copper-plates-gold-coins-found-in-karnataka-temple/article4436284.ece


Storms unearthed a 200 year old skeleton.

http://www.weather.com/news/storms-reveal-skeleton-20130117

Thanks to Rink Rat for that link.


Through the weekend on the Treasure Coast, the surf will be down around two feet.  Next Tuesday it will increase a bit, then reach a peak of 3 - 5 feet on Thursday.  That is the prediction, so don't expect much  other than maybe a little stirring next week.

Tomorrow the low tide will be around 12:30.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/9/11 Report - Whites Spectra & IDing Titanium

Whites Spectra v3i.

Here is a nice review of the Spectra. I'm not doing this to give Whites free advertising, even though they are getting it. And I'm not one that puts a lot of emphasis on having the very deepest or best detector. In my opinion, there is no best detector. Some detectors are better than others for specific purposes.

The Spectra is undoubtedly a very good detector, as are most detectors made by the major manufacturers. Just like the others, it has its strengths and weaknesses.

If you are narrowly focused on finding old Spanish shipwreck treasures on a beach, this detector might not be the best choice. All of the fancy target ID stuff would be a waste a lot of the time.

No detector is going to tell you that the big piece of iron you are detecting is a cannon ball or shipwreck spike. If you are hunting old shipwreck items, you usually will want to dig everything.

As the reviewer said, the target ID is not perfect. Target ID is never fool proof. And you simply can't expect a detector to recognized the wide variety of targets you might dig on a shipwreck treasure beach.

If it wasn't hard enough for a detector to correctly identify the wide variety of items, some items will be bent, broken or stuck to other items. That makes target ID very difficult.

For shipwreck treasure hunting, a waterproof detector can be helpful. You can get hit by an unexpected wave or caught in a rain storm. I've even known one person that lost their detector to the sea on a rough day.

Here is the link to the review I am talking about if you are interested.

http://doodlebugs.hubpages.com/hub/Review-Of-The-Whites-Spectra-V3i-Metal-Detector

I suspect this would be a great detector for picking through trashy areas such as urban grass parking lots or parks where you don't want to dig any more holes than necessary.

Don't waste your money unless you need the capabilities you are paying for. Select your detector according to what, where and how you want to hunt. Remember, all detectors have their own specific strengths and weaknesses and will be better suited to one type of detecting rather than another.


If you've ever dug up a piece of metal that looks something like melted aluminum on a Treasure Coast beach, it could be titanium from a rocket or maybe the space shuttle Challenger disaster.

Here is a link to a web site that tells how to identify titanium.

http://mrtitanium.info/2008/03/17/how-to-tell-if-a-piece-of-metal-is-really-titanium/

As you might know, titanium is also used to make inexpensive jewelry these days and is much less expensive than platinum, gold or silver.


By midnight 8/8/11 gold finished at over $1751 per ounce. It is up again today.


A 2000 plus year old sword, still in its hilt, was found with some other artifacts in a drainage channel in Jerusalem.

Here is the link if you want to read that story.

http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Early+History+-+Archaeology/Artifacts_destruction_Temple_8-Aug-2011.htm

Even small creeks and channels can conceal treasures.


Treasure Coast Beach Forecast and Conditions.

Emily has developed again. This time though, she is out in the middle of the Atlantic and no apparent threat to return to the mainland US.

The wind is out of the west and the ocean is very calm. No change to detecting conditions on the Treasure Coast.

I took a quick look this morning and saw that there are till basically two types of beaches right now. Some have a low flat wide low tide zone, and some have a front beach with a mushy front that slopes steeply down to the waterline.

I would focus on those beaches with a wide flat low tide zone. Some still have a number of metal targets, especially if you walk a distance from the parking lots. Some beaches also have some nice shell piles where you might be able to find lighter targets, such as fossils, sea glass or pot shards, if you are interested in that sort of thing.

On some of the beaches you'll some find metal targets between the shell piles and the water line.

It seems that the wide low tide zones are composed of layers of shells covered by fine hard-packed sand. It doesn't make for easy digging.

I only did a quick sample where I stopped today and dug some pieces of copper sheeting. I left some targets simply because I didn't have time to dig them all.

Anyhow, there are still some shipwreck items to be found on the beaches even if they are scattered and are not high value targets. You never know what might pop up.

Use rocks and other stationary items to indicate where the sand is moving.


Happy Hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

2/10/11 Report - Titanium Finds.

1 Oz. Titanium Bullion Bar.

A bar like this can be purchased for a little under $7.00 at current prices.


Things fall from the sky all the time. I saw a TV show the other day where a meteor fell in a small town and everyone was running around picking up the pieces and selling them to collectors who came to town to buy the pieces. Some people were getting thousands of dollars for the pieces that they found.

But were you aware of the range of space debris that has been found and can be found? I wasn't. Occasionally some big identifiable structures fall to earth when pieces of satellites or rockets return to earth.

Here is a fascinating article that shows a bunch of different types of space debris that has been found, and some of it is really fantastic.

http://search.aol.com/aol/search?query=space+shuttle+challenger+debris+field+map+metal+found&s_it=keyword_rollover


And here are photos of a couple of large pieces of the Challenger that were found along the beach.

http://search.aol.com/aol/search?query=debris+from+space+shuttle+challenger+beach&s_it=keyword_rollover

Next time you find a metal sphere on the beach, you might think twice about what it might be. It might be from outer space instead of the ocean.


I've received a number of reports of people finding pieces of titanium from the Challenger space shuttle on the Treasure Coast this year. Here is one that I found a couple of days ago.




If you want to know how to identify titanium, here is a web site that tells how to do it.

http://mrtitanium.info/2008/03/17/how-to-tell-if-a-piece-of-metal-is-really-titanium/


There are other reasons to be able to identify titanium these days. Titanium is used for a lot of applications. Everything from wheelchairs and bicycles to wedding rings.

That's right. Titanium is being used in jewelry. If you find a ring that doesn't test gold or silver, it might be titanium.

I found a large man's ring made of titanium on the Treasure Coast beach a couple of weeks ago.

Also, did you know that Ballard used a bathyscaph made of titanium to explore the Titanic? He did.

Titanium isn't a very expensive metal. You can find current prices online.

Since it is just a bit heavier than aluminum it is found with lighter materials such as aluminum rather than with silver and gold.

Since titanium is being used more in jewelry now and since it has been showing up on the beaches in other forms, I thought I'd spend some time making sure you know something about it.

I'd still like to hear comments on the mystery object I showed yesterday.


Forecast and Conditions.

The wind is from the west today and the seas are beginning to build a little. Although I don't expect conditions to improver much, the seas are going to increase to around 4.5 feet tomorrow, which should help stir things up a bit.


Happy hunting.
TreasureGuide@comcast.net