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The rock is nothing much to look at: 33 pounds and oval shaped. If you didn't know its history, you probably wouldn't be surprised that Donna Lewis's family used it as a doorstop, later parking it in the front garden.
It was even painted green for a time.
As it turned out, this was no ordinary rock. On Thursday, Donna and her husband George formally announced that the family rock picked out of a cow pasture in the 1930 is in fact a meteorite, Fox News reported.
According to Arizona State University's Center for Meteorite Studies, a meteorite is a solid body from outer space that has fallen to the Earth's surface. The Lewis meteorite is classified as a "find" by the center, since it was not observed falling to earth but rather was recognized after the fact by its distinct features.
George Lewis first started to suspect his rock might be special after running a metal detector over it in May. To his surprise, the detector's dial registered "overload," reports the Lexington Herald-Leader.
After confirming the rock's other worldly pedigree, Eastern Kentucky University purchased it, for eventual display in the school's new Science's building.
Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
Umm... (catches breath) (cough cough) HOW many POUNDS? Oh my... I am sure they are happy. Thrilled! They hit the power ball even by academic pay standards! Oh...just once in life!
A few examples of value BY the GRAM!
Those are folks that probably won't have money problems for the remainder of their years. Comfy years...
Originally posted by cheesy
hahaha it was crazy, it was suddenly rich family .. hihii let's find some...
Originally posted by iwontrun
at about 1 $ per oz isn't that around $18,000, not quite enough to retire on......unless you retire in maine.
Originally posted by RocksFromSpace
Originally posted by iwontrun
at about 1 $ per oz isn't that around $18,000, not quite enough to retire on......unless you retire in maine.
Regular run of the mill Iron meteorites sell for around .25 - $1.00 a gram .. so at $1 a gram = $28 a Oz...$448 Lb... 33Lbs = $14784.. A Nice find.
(OP Link)
Cook believes the meteorite to be the second largest (known) meteorite from the Tazewell strike. The first, he said, weighed approximately 100 pounds.
Originally posted by Rockpuck
reply to post by snarky412
I wish they would have explained what in the World convinced this family to inspect the rock to begin with? Just says it was laying in the garden, painted green after a stint as a doorstop and then bam, 4 billion year old meteor??
George Lewis first started to suspect his rock might be special after running a metal detector over it in May. To his surprise, the detector's dial registered "overload," reports the Lexington Herald-Leader.