Some meteorites worth thousands; others ‘meteorwrongs’

A polished sphere fashioned from a meteorite that crash-landed into a dry riverbed in Russia soared again Wednesday, not through space but at an auction house, snagging $130,000 – nine times its asking price.

The meteorite was a part of a cosmic collection put up for sale at Christie’s in London. But it was one of only a few space rocks to take off. A meteorite encrusted in extraterrestrial gemstones, given a high valuation of $1.1 million, did not sell.

Other heavy hitters, such as a $639,000 Martian meteorite, a $426,600 chunk of the Chelyabinsk fireball that exploded over Russia in 2013 and a $355,500 rock that looks like a metallic screaming face, went unsold as well.

James Hyslop, Christie’s specialist in science and natural history, said in a video accompanying the auction that he priced meteorites based on their size, where they came from, their scientific importance and the story behind their discovery. Fragments that were once part of the moon or Mars are of particular value, he said.

But before you go hunting for the next million-dollar meteorite, know that it’s rare to unearth a space rock.

In fact, most of the things that people think are meteorites are not meteorites at all. Many are “meteorwrongs”: chunks of rock and metal that masquerade as meteorites.

Just ask Randy Korotev, a lunar geochemist from Washington University in St. Louis, who has come across countless cases of mistaken identity while studying moon rocks.

Or better yet, don’t ask Korotev, as his email has been clogged with meteorite identification requests for more than a decade. Since 2006 he has received nearly 18,000 emails from people asking him whether they have found a space rock, including more than 1,280 requests so far in 2016.

“It’s becoming overwhelming,” Korotev said. “I spend several hours every week answering email.”

Only about 1 in 1,000 finds turns out to be a meteorite, he said. Most of the “meteorwrongs” are actually masses of iron, glassy byproducts from smelting ore called slags, or igneous rocks with small cavities called vesicular rocks. But he has also come across musket balls, grinding balls and bowling balls.

Korotev’s personal website now carries a disclaimer for people who think they have found a meteorite that could make them rich. His advice: Turn to his self-test checklist and meteorite realities list before pressing send on that email.

This story was originally published April 21, 2016 at 8:24 PM with the headline "Some meteorites worth thousands; others ‘meteorwrongs’."