“A rolling stone gathers no moss”…but sometimes good more than gold! A man discovers an intriguing stone, convinced of find a nugget . What it contained exceeded all his expectations. An incredible storyto discover!
A metal detector, an indestructible stone… and a secret
In 2015, David Hole explored the park de Maryborough near Melbourne, with a metal detector. There he comes across a red stoneand heavy, placed on yellow clay. Intrigued, he thinks he has found a nugget of gold because the region is renowned for its historic mines.
He brings back the mysterious rockat home and tries by all means to open it. Rock saw, grinder, drill… nothing works. Even acid can't reach to crack the rock. Determined, he persists, but without success, without knowing that this stone definitively hides a secret .
An ordinary stone that hides a treasure more precious than gold
Recently, David Hole, always curious, decided to make his contribution at the Melbourne Museum to find out more, as reported by the media Science alert. To his great surprise, it was not gold that he found, but a meteorite more valuable than ingots! Indeed, researchers identify the stone as being old 4.6 billion years oldand name it « Maryborough »in homage to the neighboring town.
Weight 17 kg the meteorite reveals, after analysis, a high iron content. Experts classify it as a ordinary chondrite H5. Furthermore, by cutting it, they also discover chondrules, tiny crystallized dropsof metallic minerals, scattered throughout the stone. An astonishing discovery that turns David Hole's expectations upside down as you can imagine.
A meteorite falling from the sky: an extraordinary destiny
However, a museum expert explains that this meteorite probably comes from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It was projected towards Earth after a series of collisions between asteroids. Researchers then believe that it arrived on Earth 100 to 1,000 years . Meteor observations from 1889 to 1951 may correspond to its entry into the atmosphere. It's quite a destiny for this stone which is not one.
The Maryborough meteorite it is very rare. It is one of 17 listed in Victoria, the Australian state. Moreover, it is the second largestchondrite after a 55 kg specimen found in 2003. Its rarity makes it even more fascinatingas the expert points out. So, look carefully around you during your walks, you may find a gift, like this stone, fallen from the sky.
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