Scientists deal with facts. We collect information, analyze it, test hypotheses,
refine theories and gather more data to test new theories. Sometimes, this approach
is exactly what the public does not want to hear. Whether the facts deal with
the limits of a floodplain, the inevitability of earthquakes, the finite nature
of resources or the value of a arock, geology often presents us with uncomfortable
truth.
Most geologists have multiple opportunities over the course of their careers
to identify rock samples collected by the public. Sometimes a cleavage plane
or color catches the collector’s eye, and the sample arrives with genuine
curiosity about the nature of this piece of Earth. Such interest is a pleasure
to encounter and support.
Some collectors, however, bring their discoveries to geology departments to
simply confirm that they have found a specimen that has value — monetary
value — rather than to learn about facts. Consequently, they are looking
for corroboration rather than education. This situation can offer a disappointing
insight into human nature.
The type of material suspected of being valuable differs geographically. In
some parts of the country, collectors believe they have found gold. Volcanic
areas generate dreams of diamonds. Mineralized bones certainly belonged to a
Tyrannosaurus rex. The more valuable the finder believes the materials
to be, the less he wants to believe it is pyrite or quartz or a bovine femur.
On the Southeast’s Coastal Plain, every odd rock is suspected of being
a meteorite. Indeed, any hard rock almost certainly "ain’t from around
here." Most of River Street in Savannah, Ga., for example, is paved with
ballast stones that came in ships from Europe. They are small, rounded boulders
that look unusual. Hence, many of the suspected meteorites in the region turn
out to be ballast stones. The rocks have interesting stories, but they don’t
have much intrinsic value.
Occasionally, however, meteorites turn up: In Statesboro, Ga., farmer Harold
Cannon found a funny rock while he was harvesting butter beans in June 2000;
it felt heavy and had a bright orange weathering rind. Cannon tossed the softball-sized
chunk inside a shed, and in summer 2003, he rediscovered the rock when he was
cleaning. When he chipped off a piece, he was surprised that the rock was dark
inside.
For a positive identification, Cannon took his rock to the geology and geography
department at Georgia Southern University. Three members of the faculty looked
at the specimen, first with hand lenses and a binocular microscope and then
in thin section. They all knew that this truly was an unusual sample, so they
sent fragments of the rock to the Smithsonian Institution’s Division of
Meteorites and to Franklin & Marshall College for analyses. The conclusion:
It really was a meteorite. Cannon had found an L-type (low iron) ordinary chondrite.
But Cannon’s focus was not on the incredible coolness of holding a piece
of outer space in his hands, nor was it the amazing story that must underlie
the journey of this rock to end up in a bean field in southern Georgia; Cannon
was focused only on how much money he could get by selling the sample.
The Georgia Southern geologists told Cannon that the meteorite he found is one
of the most abundant types and might retail for $3 to $8 per gram. A commercial
dealer might be able to sell this approximately 2-kilogram specimen for $6,000
to $16,000, but Cannon should only expect to get one-sixth to one-third of that
price.
Because the meteorite was found nearby, the faculty knew that it would be an
excellent addition to the Georgia Southern Museum. They advised Cannon about
where and how to announce his meteorite was for sale, and they asked him to
bring his best written offer to the university before he accepted it. The faculty
felt confident that they could work with the museum and the university to make
an acceptable offer. Cannon, however, was suspicious of both the estimated sale
price and the offer, and he quoted other "advisors" who had assured
him the rock was worth a fortune — he put the meteorite up for sale on
eBay, with a note that he had already rejected an offer of $25,000.
The media further exaggerates such discoveries. The Savannah Morning News,
for example, reported on the Statesboro Meteorite with the headline "Mega-dollar
meteorite: Bulloch County farmer holding out for big bucks for not-so-big rock"
(April 5, 2004).
Later that month, on April 26, 2004, the Calgary Herald reported that
a Canadian hunter had found two meteorite fragments that, at $10 per gram for
the 9.8-kilogram total, might sell for $100,000. The hunter was unemployed and
anticipating how this much money would improve his situation. An Internet comment
on this article noted, "Hope he doesn’t start spending money he doesn’t
have and never will get. … This guy is going to be disappointed when reality
sets in." In response to this observation, a correspondent replied (with
the original punctuation), "yea, kinda like the statesboro meteorite on
ebay — ‘owner has refused an offer of $25,000’ — he’ll
wind up soaking it in heinz 57 and , putting it in the toaster oven and eating
it for dinner."
But not everyone is looking to cash in a discovery immediately. A New Orleans
couple returned home from work on Sept. 23, 2003, to discover a scene filled
with debris. They feared a broken pipe, something dropped from an airplane,
a break-in. The police correctly identified the culprit: a meteorite. Subsequent
analyses showed it was an H-type chondrite. These, too, are relatively common,
but this was a "fall" rather than a "find," and knowing
exactly when and where it arrived on Earth increases the value. With about 13.6
kilograms of rock valued between $8 and $20 a gram, the value could be between
$108,000 and $272,000.
The new owners of the "New Orleans Meteorite" are taking their time
to consider the options that have, literally, fallen from the sky. They sent
away a small sample for analysis, locked up the rest in a secure location, and
hoped that their insurance would pay for the expected $10,000 of repairs to
their home.
Meanwhile, the highest eBay bid on the Statesboro Meteorite was $1,055.55. It
wasn’t sold.
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