Michigan Farmer Used a 10-Kilogram Meteorite as a Barn Doorstop for Decades
A 10.22-kilogram (22.5-pound) rock spent decades propping open a barn door on a Michigan farm before scientists determined that it was an iron meteorite from space. David Mazurek, a Grand Rapids, Michigan, resident, acquired the rock when he bought a farm near Edmore in 1988. The previous owner told him that he and his father […]
In 1988, David Mazurek purchased a farm near Edmore, Michigan, and discovered a 10.22-kilogram (22.5-pound) meteorite used as a barn doorstop for decades. The rock had fallen onto the property in the 1930s, according to the previous owner. The Meteoritical Bulletin classified the Edmore meteorite as an Iron IIIAB meteorite due to its chemical composition, making it part of a recognized group of iron meteorites.
The meteorite, composed of 88.5% iron and 11.5% nickel, has a triangular shape and a light-brown fusion crust resulting from its atmospheric entry. Scientists found a unique Widmanstätten pattern in the metal, indicating the slow cooling of iron and nickel over millions of years. In 2018, the Edmore meteorite was considered valuable, estimated at around US$100,000, and was eventually sold to Michigan State University’s Abrams Planetarium for US$75,000.
The meteorite is now part of the planetarium’s meteorite collection, while its original Meteoritical Bulletin record shows it as a 1939 find with a doubtful fall.
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