In 2015, David Hole was searching for gold in Maryborough Regional Park near Melbourne, Australia.
Armed with a metal detector, he stumbled upon a heavy reddish rock embedded in yellow clay, writes ScienceAlert.
Living in a region famous for its gold rush history, he believed he had found a gold nugget encased in stone.
Excited by the find, Hole took the rock home and tried to break it open. He used a rock saw, a drill, an angle grinder, and even soaked it in acid.
He even resorted to a sledgehammer, but the rock refused to crack. After years of wondering, he eventually brought it to Melbourne Museum for identification.
It turned out to be something far rarer than gold. The rock was identified as a meteorite, one of the oldest objects on Earth, likely formed over 4.6 billion years ago.
Geologist Dermot Henry, who examined it, noted the unique sculpted and dimpled appearance caused by its fiery descent through Earth’s atmosphere.
The meteorite, named Maryborough after the nearby town, weighs 17 kilograms (37.5 pounds).
When researchers cut into it with a diamond saw, they discovered it was rich in iron and classified it as an H5 ordinary chondrite.
Inside, they found chondrules, tiny crystallized droplets of metallic minerals that offer clues about the early Solar System.
Meteorites like Maryborough are invaluable to science. They provide insights into the formation of planets, the chemistry of the Solar System, and even the building blocks of life.
Some contain ancient stardust, older than the Solar System itself.
Carbon dating suggests the Maryborough meteorite landed on Earth between 100 and 1,000 years ago.
Its origin likely lies in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Scientists speculate it was dislodged by a collision and eventually made its way to Earth.
This discovery is extraordinarily rare. Only 17 meteorites have been found in Victoria, compared to thousands of gold nuggets.
The Maryborough meteorite is the second-largest of its kind found in the region, making it an extraordinary scientific treasure.
Perhaps it’s time to take a closer look at that strange, heavy rock in your own backyard.
Who knows what secrets it might hold?
