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Why Are Meteorites So Expensive?
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4:05
Some pricey chunks of space rock are among the objects for sale at a Dallas auction house this weekend.
The Garza Stone, a 5-pound piece of a meteorite that famously crashed through the roof of a house in Park Forest, Ill., in 2003, is expected to fetch more than $55,000.
"Meteorites are more than just rocks," says David Herskowitz, director of the natural history section at Heritage Auctions. "They hold the key to life on this planet."
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Corrected May 13, 2009 at 8:59 AM PDT
In this interview, David Herskowitz said, "Out of all of history, there have been no meteorite-persons collisions. In other words, not one meteorite has hit any human being on this planet." This is not correct. In 1954, a meteorite came through the roof of a house in Sylacauga, Ala., and struck Ann Elizabeth Hodges on the hand and hip.
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This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
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