美國男子竟用稀有的隕石碎片抵門數十年

A Michigan man curious about a rock he'd used for decades as a doorstop now knows its secret: it's a meteorite worth $100,000.

密歇根一名男子對他數十年來用來支撐大門的一塊石頭充滿好奇，現在他終於知道了其中的祕密：這塊石頭居然是一塊價值10萬美元的隕石。

In fact, the nearly 23-pound hunk of iron and nickel is the sixth largest meteorite found in Michigan, according to the Smithsonian Museum and Central Michigan University.

據史密森尼博物館和中密歇根大學的數據顯示，事實上，這顆重近23磅的鐵鎳隕石是在密歇根發現的第六大的隕石。

David Mazurek said he took his doorstop to the university for examination after seeing reports in January of meteorite pieces selling for thousands of dollars.

大衛·馬祖雷克稱，在看到今年1月有關隕石碎片賣了幾千美元的報道後，他帶着這塊石頭，前往中密歇根大學進行鑑定。

"I said, 'Wait a minute. I wonder how much mine is worth,'" Mazurek said.

馬祖雷克說：“我說，‘等一等，我想看看我的能值多少錢’。”

University Geology Professor Mona Sirbescu first identified the piece as more than just a rock. She then sent two small slices of the rock to the Smithsonian for confirmation.

該校地質學教授莫娜·西貝斯庫首先鑑別出這不是一塊普通的石頭。然後她把其中兩小塊送到了史密森尼博物館去鑑定。

"I could tell right away that this was something special," she said. "It's the most valuable specimen I have ever held in my life, monetarily and scientifically."

她說道：“我馬上就覺得這個東西很不一樣。無論是從科學上還是從其價值而言，這都是我手裏拿過的最寶貴的樣品。”

Mazurek said the meteorite came with a barn he bought in 1988 in Edmore. He said the farmer who sold him the property told him it landed in his backyard in the 1930s.

馬祖雷克稱，他是在1988年在埃德莫爾購買農場時得到這塊隕石的。賣出農場的農民告訴他，這塊石頭是在20世紀30年代落到這個農場上的。

More tests are being conducted to see if the meteorite contains rare elements.

研究人員還作了許多測試，以確認隕石裏是否含有稀有元素。

"What typically happens with these at this point is that meteorites can either be sold and shown in a museum or sold to collectors and sellers looking to make a profit," Sirbescu said.

西貝斯庫教授說：“這種隕石通常都是賣給博物館展出，或者是賣給期望從中獲利的收藏家的。”

The Smithsonian and a mineral museum in Maine are considering purchasing the specimen.

史密森尼博物館和緬因州的一家礦物博物館正在考慮購買這塊隕石。