Australian man's gold hunt leads to rare 4.6‑billion-year meteorite
David Hole stored a rock in his home for several years that turned out to be significantly valuable. He found it near Melbourne, Australia, believing it to be gold. However, his discovery was much more valuable.
Hole kept this rock in his home for a long time, having found it near Melbourne, Australia. He was convinced there was gold inside. However, to his surprise, the find was much more valuable.
According to the focus.de service, the event took place in 2015. At that time, Hole was exploring the terrain in Maryborough Regional Park. His metal detector signalled the presence of a heavy, reddish rock submerged in clay.
Hole took the lump home, believing he had found a nugget. His assumptions were grounded because Maryborough is located in the Goldfields region, known since the 19th century for large deposits of precious metals.
The Australian tried various methods to access the presumed precious metal. He used a rock saw, an angle grinder, a drill, and even acid. However, none of these could damage the hard surface.
He found a valuable rock
After several years, Hole decided to hand over the lump to the local museum for examination by specialists. It turned out it wasn't a nugget but a rare 4.6-billion-year-old meteorite. Research showed it most likely fell to Earth about a thousand years ago.
The rock, now known as the Maryborough meteorite, weighed 17 kilograms. Geologists at the museum explained that its significant mass was due to the dense iron and nickel forms, differing from those found in earthly rocks.
A museum staff member used a diamond saw to cut a fragment of the meteorite. Inside, tiny solidified droplets were discovered. These were remnants of silicate minerals that crystallized from the gas that formed the Solar System.
The stone discovered by Hole was identified as an H5 chondrite meteorite, which orbited the Sun about 4.6 billion years ago. Due to gravity, these meteorites gradually clumped together, leading to the formation of Earth and other rocky planets.
