Man Keeps 17-Kilogram Rock For Years, Thinking It's Gold – Turns Out It's A 4.6 Billion-Year-Old Meteorite Worth Much More

In 2015, Australian prospector David Hole searched for gold in Maryborough Regional Park, near Melbourne, with his metal detector. While this wasn't an unusual outing for the prospector, what he discovered was. He unearthed an unusually heavy reddish rock, which he suspected was a gold nugget at the time. 

He took the rock home and tried everything to crack it open – saws, hammers, even acid—but nothing worked. Years later, he took the rock to the Melbourne Museum to have them identify it. To his astonishment, geologists revealed that this "rock" was no rock at all but a rare 4.6 billion-year-old meteorite. 

Don't Miss:

• It’s no wonder Jeff Bezos holds over $70 million in art — this alternative asset has outpaced the S&P 500 since 1995, delivering an average annual return of 11.4%. Here’s how everyday investors are getting started.
• ‘Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. You can invest today for just $0.26/share with a $1000 minimum.

Named after the park where it was found, the Maryborough meteorite weighs 17 kilograms (about 37.5 pounds) and has been identified as an H5 ordinary chondrite. According to Museums Victoria, this means that it contains chondrules, which are tiny crystallized droplets of metallic minerals that formed during the early stages of the solar system. 

Museums Victoria geologist Dermot Henry told The Sydney Morning Herald that the meteorite's sculpted, dimpled surface was formed as it burned through the Earth's atmosphere. Henry, who has examined thousands of suspected meteorites throughout his decades-long career, commented that only two of the rocks he's examined turned out to be real meteorites and this was one of them. 

See Also: The global games market is projected to generate $272B by the end of the year — for $0.55/share, this VC-backed startup with a 7M+ userbase gives investors easy access to this asset market.

Researchers who have studied the meteorite determined its unique composition includes a high percentage of iron and other elements that can only be found in space. According to Museums Victoria, the meteorite likely originated in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. 

Carbon dating suggests that the Maryborough meteorite landed on Earth between 100 and 1,000 years ago. Historical records of meteor sightings near Maryborough, dating back to 1889, may provide clues about its arrival. 

Meteorites like this offer invaluable insights into the formation and evolution of the solar system. "They transport us back in time, providing clues to the age, formation and chemistry of our solar system (including Earth)," Henry said in a media release from Museums Victoria. 

According to Science Alert, the Maryborough meteorite is one of only 17 recorded in Victoria, making it far rarer than gold. It is also the second largest meteorite discovered in the area, second only to a 55-kilogram specimen identified in 2003. 

Trending: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — you can become an investor for $0.80 per share today.

While experts haven't assigned a precise monetary value to the meteorite, they state that its rarity and scientific significance make it far more valuable than gold—it's priceless. 

What began as a quest for gold ended with identifying a cosmic artifact that has survived billions of years and countless celestial events.

The Maryborough meteorite is now part of Museums Victoria's collection, which continues to captivate visitors and researchers alike. It was displayed at the Melbourne Museum during National Science Week, offering the public a chance to marvel at a tangible piece of the cosmos.

For those with a keen eye for unusual finds, this story serves as a reminder: the next time you encounter an unusually heavy, hard-to-break rock, it might just be a fragment of space waiting to share its story.

Read Next:

• Deloitte's fastest-growing software company partners with Amazon, Walmart & Target – Last Chance to get 4,000 of its pre-IPO shares for just $0.26/share!
• If there was a new fund backed by Jeff Bezos offering a 7-9% target yield with monthly dividends would you invest in it?