Rock Used As A Doorstep For 30 Years In US Turns Out To Be A Meteorite Worth Rs 74 Lakh

A rock that was used as doorstep for 30 years at a Michigan farm turned out to be the sixth largest meteorite found in the state. Central Michigan University says that when David Mazurek bought the Edmore property in 1988, the farmer told him he saw the meteorite hit the earth in the 1930s.

AP

Mazurek eventually sought out an expert at Central Michigan University after seeing reports in January of meteorite shards found in Michigan selling for thousands of dollars.

He recovered the rock while it was still warm. The farmer used the 22.5-pound hunk of iron and nickel to prop a shed door until he sold the property, reports AP. It was the first one that was identified and only the 12th identified in Michigan.

Sirbescu sent off a slice of the meteorite to the Smithsonian Institution, which verified the meteorite and estimated its value at $100,000.

AP

The rock¡¯s worth could increase; an iron meteorite expert at the University of California, Los Angeles is testing a sample of the rock to determine if it contains rare elements.

The Smithsonian is now considering purchasing the entire rock, which it has dubbed the Edmore meteorite.

"I'm done using it as a doorstop. Let's get a buyer!" Mazurek said.

He has promised to give 10 percent of the rock¡¯s purchase price to the university to support students studying earth and atmospheric sciences.

"Stuff falls to earth all the time," Mazurek said."How do we know that object will not cure cancer or whatever or some kind of disease?"

The rest of the money, he said, will go toward sweetening his retirement. "We don't really need any more money at this time, but it would be nice," he said.

Inputs AP