Not just a huge treasure: The beautiful and mysterious Fukang meteorite brings $2 million to the person who retrieves the 925-pound item

When it slammed into the surface of Earth, there was little sign of the beauty that lay inside.

But cutting the Fukang meteorite open yielded a breathtaking sight.

Within the rock, translucent golden crystals of a mineral called olivine gleamed among a silvery honeycomb of nickel-iron.

Cosmic wonder: Marvin Killgore of the Arizona Meteorite Laboratory lets the sun shine through a polished slice of the Fukang rock

Cosmic wonder: Marvin Killgore of the Arizona Meteorite Laboratory lets the sun shine through a polished slice of the Fukang rock

The rare meteorite weighed about the same as a hatchback when it was discovered in 2000, in the Gobi Desert in China’s Xinjiang Province.

The Beautiful Fukang Meteorite | Amusing Planet

It has since been divided into slices which give the effect of stained glᴀss when the sun shines through them.

An anonymous collector holds the largest portion, which weighs 925lb. in 2008, this piece was expected to fetch $2million (£1.26million) at auction at Bonham’s in New York – but it remained unsold.

Picture of the Week: Fukang Pallasite

It is so valuable that even tiny chunks sell in the region of £20-30 per gram.

Arizona’s Southwest Meteorite Laboratory, which holds about 70lb of the rock, says the remarkable find will turn out to be ‘one of the greatest meteorite discoveries of the 21st century’.

It says the Fukang specimen outshines all other known examples of the pallasite class, which makes up just one per cent of all meteorites. However, it is not the biggest – in 2005 space rock hunter Steve Arnold dug up a 1,400lb sample in Kansas.

Valuable: The main mᴀss of the Fukang meteorite, which failed to sell after being valued at million

Valuable: The main mᴀss of the Fukang meteorite, which failed to sell after being valued at $2million. The intact space rock weighed as much as a small car

The Arizona lab’s experts say pallasites, whose make-up of half nickel-iron, half olivine gives them their mosaic-like appearance, are ‘thought to be relics of forming planets’.

Polished piece of a rare Fukang Pallasite meteorite, found in the Gobi Desert : r/pics

They are believed to originate from deep inside intact meteors created during the formation of the solar system about 4.5 billion years ago and very few specimens are thought to have survived their descent through Earth’s atmosphere.

February 2005 saw the Chinese space rock transported all the way to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, in Tucson, Arizona.

4.5 billion years in the making: Golden olivine meets silvery nickel-iron to create a stunningly beautiful mosaic effect

The U.S. lab claims their polished slice of the original meteorite is the world’s biggest pallasite cross section, measuring 36in by 19in.

 4.5 billion years in the making: Golden olivine meets silvery nickel-iron to create a stunningly beautiful mosaic effect

Related Posts

The Rök Stone: Decoding a Viking Message of Survival and Memory

The Rök Stone: Decoding a Viking Message of Survival and Memory

The Rök Stone, rising nearly 8 feet tall in Östergötland, Sweden, is one of the most extraordinary artifacts from the Viking Age. Carved in the 9th century,…

Mycenae: The Heart of Mycenaean Civilization and Ancient Legends

Mycenae: The Heart of Mycenaean Civilization and Ancient Legends

18 Th12 The archaeological site of Mycenae, located in the northeastern Peloponnese of Greece, offers a striking glimpse into the grandeur of the Mycenaean civilization (16th–12th century…

The castle was probably built by Robert of Belleme in c1101-2. It is on the site of a Saxon burgh built by Ethelfleda in 912AD.

The castle was probably built by Robert of Belleme in c1101-2. It is on the site of a Saxon burgh built by Ethelfleda in 912AD.

The castle was probably built by Robert of Belleme in c1101-2. It is on the site of a Saxon burgh built by Ethelfleda in 912AD. Belleme surrendered the castle…

Complete Overview of McCaig’s Tower in Oban

Complete Overview of McCaig’s Tower in Oban

If you ever find yourself in Oban, one of the most notable landmarks you’ll come across is the McCaig’s Tower. This impressive structure, which sits atop of…

The ᴀssyrian Rosette was mostly worn for protection and good luck.

The ᴀssyrian Rosette was mostly worn for protection and good luck.

The so-called “Sumerian wristwatch,” often seen in ancient Sumerian carvings, has been a topic of debate among enthusiasts and researchers. These circular objects worn on the wrists…

Scientists at the Field Museum conducted CT scans of 26 mummies within one of their exhibits.

Scientists at the Field Museum conducted CT scans of 26 mummies within one of their exhibits.

Scientists at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History have peered beneath the wrappings of ancient Egyptian mummified human remains to uncover new details about their idenтιтies and…