1,400-Pound Meteorite Found in Kansas

This article is great. Sounds like it is a work of beauty to me. Wow! Wish they had a picture with this:

news.yahoo.com...

Originally posted by SkyChild_5
Wow! Wish they had a picture with this:

Here ya' go



From usatoday

Thanks for posting that for me. Gosh, that could have killed someone!

Originally posted by Umbrax

Originally posted by SkyChild_5
Wow! Wish they had a picture with this:

Here ya' go

From usatoday

Thanks Umbrax, I was looking for a pic earlier today.

They must be pretty excited about that find. Gotta be worth a mint!

Originally posted by makeitso
They must be pretty excited about that find. Gotta be worth a mint!

If something like that lands on your property, do you have to give it to the gov't, or can you 'auction' it, or just keep it?

Hmmm... just wondering...

But, I think it is the property of the land owner and I think it said he was thinking about selling it to a museum or something that would keep it intact.

$$$ pay day for these lucky lucky people. Meteorites can be worth lots of money depending on type, shape,size and place of origin.

Sometimes they are worth far more then gold. Heres a article of a guy that found a 4 1/2 pounds one and its worth has been estimated as high as $1 million dollars or $500 per gram. If you find one that people can trace to a interesting origin like say Mars the price shoots way up.

link

Generally, the ownership of a meteorite is with the landowner where it fell. At least, in the USA.

Here's an example, the 15.5-ton Willamette Meteorite:
www.space.com...

In 1905, the Supreme Court of the State of Oregon ruled that the meteorite belonged to the Oregon Iron and Steel Company as owner of the land on which the object was found. The company sold the meteorite to the American Museum of Natural History the next year for $20,600.

It's not always true, in other places. In Australia, the METEORITES ACT of 2000, makes all meteorites and anything else falling from the skies on the Northern Territory of Australia to be property of the government.

3. Property in and management of meteorites
(1) Subject to subsection (2), and notwithstanding the degree of their attachment to land, all meteorites in the Territory are the property of the Territory and their management and control is vested in the Board.

[edit on 12-11-2005 by ZPE StarPilot]

This meteorite fell to Earth centuries ago.

And I'm sure this guy owns it free and clear if it was on his property.

One of the best places to find meteorites is Antarctica. The little black rocks stand out very well there. Plus there its free range for whoever finds them since noboby owns that land.

I found the same image, but a bit bigger.




And a pic from a different angle.



and a pretty good video with a good closeup, and of them digging it up.

He sure had to do a lot of digging!