From Doorstop to Treasure: The Meteorite Discovery in Michigan

When David Mazurek bought his farm in Michigan over 30 years ago, he had no idea about the treasure hidden there. In 1988, David toured the Edmore farm with the property owner before purchasing it. During the tour, he noticed a large rock used as a backdoor stop and couldn't stop thinking about it. He asked the owner where the rock came from since it didn't look like any rock he'd seen before.

According to the farmer, he saw the rock fall from the sky one night in the 1930s when he was a child. When he woke up in the morning, he and his father went out to the fields to find it. When they discovered it on the ground, it was still warm to the touch. They had never seen such a rock, but due to its weight, they decided to use it as a doorstop.

The farmer's story seemed credible, but David wasn't entirely convinced. If this rock served as a doorstop, it probably wasn't that valuable. Yet, David bought the property along with the peculiar rock and continued using it as... a doorstop.

For 30 years, the special rock sat on the farm as the backdoor stop. His children were fascinated by it and even brought it to school for a show-and-tell. In 2018, following the famous meteor shower, David began to wonder about the rock lying on his farm. If the farmer's story was true, he could make a significant amount of money from selling it. He decided to investigate further and contacted Dr. Mona Sirbescu, who agreed to examine the rock, despite not being optimistic about the outcome.

Throughout her career, Dr. Sirbescu encountered hundreds of "space meteorites," only to find most were just ordinary rocks. She agreed to examine David's rock because, nonetheless, it looked unique enough to confirm or dismiss her suspicions. During the examination, the rock was found to be composed of 88% iron and 12% nickel, a metal found mostly in meteorites. Based on the new findings, Dr. Sirbescu was convinced it was a meteorite. She sent the rock for further analysis, and after several tests, it was confirmed that Dr. Sirbescu was right, and the rock was valued at around $100,000!

Dr. Sirbescu suggested to David to sell the newfound treasure to a museum or private collector, and David decided to donate 10% of his earnings to fund further geological research. The Edmore meteorite, which until recently served as a doorstop, weighs about 10 kilograms and is the sixth-largest found in Michigan. To this day, scientists continue to analyze it to discover any additional rare elements it may contain.