Meteorite hunting: Journey to find treasure from the universe

Wandering the desert burning, risking robbery or risking imprisonment, meteorite hunters still brave the danger to hunt for "worth more than gold" rocks.

On January 16, a light flashed on the sky of Michigan, USA, along with a loud bang. Extraterrestrial objects plunging to the surface of the Earth at a speed of nearly 60,000 km / h momentarily turned the night into a day and caused a slight earthquake.

The next morning, locals flocked to the place of the collision to search for fragments of space rocks, among them experts: meteorite hunters.

A meteorite hunter in Morocco is examining the specimen collected.(Photo: AFP).

Treasure hunt job from

When an outer rock mass passes through the atmosphere and falls to the ground, that rock is called a meteorite. For scientists, meteorites contain invaluable information about the formation of the solar system 4.5 billion years ago.

Many wealthy collectors, especially in China, are willing to trade the whole fortune to get a piece of cosmic minerals for personal collections.

The need to buy meteorites from experts and collectors increased, many people rushed to hunt for this kind of treasure. According to Verge, the International Meteorite Hunters Association lists 455 members on the official website. Some only search when they have free time, but some people choose this to be a career to pursue. However, each meteorite hunter has different purposes.

Mohamed Bouzgarine, 59, a retired physical teacher, carries an 'extremely sensitive' magnet and magnifying glass in the desert of Morocco to search for 'more expensive gold' pieces of stone . He told AFP: 'Prices depend on the rarity, shape and condition of the meteorite. The most expensive is Mars , which usually costs about 1,000 USD (23.3 million VND / gram).

Mohamed Bouzgarine searched for meteors near the town of M'hamid el-Ghizlane, southern Morocco.(Photo: AFP).

For the past 4 years, he has been searching for meteors in desert sand. Hundreds of Bouzgarine's colleagues were fortunate to find 'treasure'. This gives him the motivation to continue wandering under the burning sun every day.

Like Bouzgarine, Abderrahmane, a 48-year-old medical officer, is also a meteorite hunter.'Can earn a lot of money with this job. A hunter once found a mass of 600 grams and sold for 780 USD (18.2 million VND) / gram.

That's why since the 2000s, all nomads began to participate, ' he told AFP. The most valuable findings are often auctioned in Paris or New York. 'There are only a few small fragments in the local markets , ' added Mr Abderrahmane.

According to Guardian, in 2013, Britain's most expensive meteorite Hambleton was valued at between $ 9,000 and $ 13,000 (VND 302.9 million). The 2.9 kg stone block discovered by meteorite hunter Rob Elliot in 2005. Mr. Elliot also owns the largest collection of meteorites in the UK with 85 specimens sold at auction.

Unlike many meteorite hunters who want to make a living or even change their lives by selling space rocks, Yang Kexin, 28, from Guizhou Province, China donated his 'stars' to experts. . 'I think meteors have the greatest value for scientific research,' Ms. Yang told the South China Morning Post.

Ms. Yang Kexin donated many of her meteorite samples to scientists instead of selling them.(Photo: Handout).

Ms. Yang has crossed the Gobi desert hundreds of times and in the past 5 years, she has collected more than 600 meteorite samples weighing a total of 400kg. However, the professional hunter rejected most offers to sell, instead opting to share the 'gift from the universe' with the public.

From mid-2017, Ms. Yang opened a meteorite museum in Guizhou Province with 300 specimens for visitors.'I will not sell my stars, because every specimen is a story and the journey I seek for them , ' she said.

Potential risks from 'lottery game'

Wander in the desert of Morocco hoping to find 'treasure' , but after 20 days of abundance, Mr. Abderrahmane still does not hunt anything. 'The problem here is luck, like a lottery,' he said, smiling.

Mustapha Oulkouch, a meteorite hunter in the Moroccan desert, has abandoned his job at the hotel since 2006. Oulkouch now lives on the meteorite money. However, according to Gizmodo, he said his income was not as good as he expected. Hunting meteorites is an art, and he must learn to recognize their special signs as well as use specialized equipment such as magnets or metal detectors.

Although some countries, such as China or Morocco, do not have legal provisions for finding meteorites, there are many other cases that are convicted. According to CNBC, in 2011, Michael Farmer, a meteorite hunter from Arizona, USA, spent 2 months in Oman for illegal digging. Earlier, Mr. Farmer was abducted and beaten by a group of Kenyan robbers.

Michael Farmer hunter with a meteorite in his hand.(Photo: CNBC).

Similar to Farmer, Ms. Yang almost lost her life by searching for meteors. According to the South China Morning Post, during a trip to Xinjiang in 2013, her team hired two cars to explore the shallow lake of Lop Nor, the area known as the "dead zone".

Due to the colleague's mistake, when she left the venue, she was left in the desert for hours without warm clothes, food or water. The phone could not be contacted because of the wave loss. She was later discovered and rescued by a group of soldiers.

Ms. Yang said after the accident, she never dared to step into the desert without equipping essential items like radio, GPS, water, food and fuel. However, the horrifying experience does not quell the passion of 'searching for stars' by Chinese meteorite hunters.

'Imagine you are holding the object that only a week ago was on the surface of the Moon. It is a very enchanting feeling, like holding a part of history but dating back longer than anything on Earth we know , 'Farmer told CNBC.