A US man has been left amazed after discovering the rock he used as a doorstop was in fact a meteorite worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
In January, David Mazurek saw reports of people selling pieces of meteorites for thousands of dollars. He became curious about his own doorstop, which came with a barn he bought 30 years ago.
The farmer who sold him the property told him the rock landed in his backyard in the 1930s and was dug out of a crater.
- Canterbury 'meteor' may have actually been a plane
- 'Potentially hazardous' asteroids to fly by Earth
- Meteor almost hits US Air Force base
When Mr Mazurek took the rock to be examined at Central Michigan University, he was astonished to be told it was the sixth largest meteorite ever found in Michigan.
Weighing in at 10kg, it was valued at US$100,000 (NZ$155,000).
University Geology Professor Mona Sirbescu was excited by the discovery, which the Smithsonian Museum confirmed was indeed a meteorite.
"I could tell right away that this was something special," she told AP. "It's the most valuable specimen I have ever held in my life, monetarily and scientifically."
The meteorite will be tested further to see if it contains rare elements.
Both the Smithsonian and a mineral museum in Maine are interested in buying it from Mr Mazurek, who told AP he'll donate some of the money to Central Michigan University when he sells the meteorite.
"I'm done using it as a doorstop. Let's get a buyer!"
Newshub.
