A man keeps a “gold nugget” for years only to discover it’s far more valuable

David Hole never imagined that a routine trip with his metal detector to Maryborough Regional Park in Australia would lead to a discovery out of this world—literally. While exploring the area, he unearthed a hefty, reddish rock weighing about 37.5 pounds (17 kilograms). Convinced it contained gold, a common find in Australia’s rich goldfields, he took it home and spent years trying to break it open. But no amount of chiseling or drilling could crack the mystery inside.

Finally, Hole turned to the experts at the Melbourne Museum to unlock its secrets. What he had was no ordinary rock; it was a meteorite, one that likely hurtled to Earth between 100 and 1,000 years ago.

Sculpted by space: a meteorite’s journey

The meteorite’s distinctive sculpted surface caught the attention of Dermot Henry, a geologist at the Melbourne Museum. It’s “sculpted, dimpled” appearance was formed as it burned through the atmosphere. “They are melting on the outside, and the atmosphere sculpts them.” he explained to The Sydney Morning Herald in 2019. This celestial relic was classified as an H-type ordinary chondrite, the most common kind of meteorite found on Earth. When scientists carefully opened it, they discovered small, spherical mineral grains called chondrules—hallmarks of chondritic meteorites.

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Why meteorites are priceless

“Meteorites provide the cheapest form of space exploration. They transport us back in time, providing clues to the age, formation, and chemistry of our Solar System,” Henry noted. They offer an extraordinary “glimpse at the deep interior of our planet.” Some meteorites even contain “stardust,” remnants of ancient stars that shed light on the creation of elements in the periodic table. Rarer still are those that harbor organic molecules, such as amino acids—the building blocks of life.

The origins and rarity of this space rock

While researchers haven’t pinpointed the exact origin of Hole’s meteorite, they suspect it came from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Its fall to Earth might date back to between 1889 and 1951, a period marked by numerous meteor sightings in the region. This meteorite is one of just 17 ever recorded in the state of Victoria, Australia, making it an exceptional find. Weighing in as the second-largest meteorite discovered in the state—second only to a 121-lb (55-kg) specimen found in 2003—it’s a testament to the rare and remarkable nature of such discoveries.

“It’s quite, you might say, astronomical it being discovered at all,” said the geologist, reflecting on the incredible chain of events that brought this space rock to light.

Original article written by Arianna Villaescusa, translated with the assistance of AI and edited by Greg Heilman.

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