A 10.22 kg meteorite used as a doorstop for decades was discovered in a Michigan barn, having fallen from space in the 1930s.
Rock used as a doorstop
A 10.22 kg rock that had been used as a doorstop in a barn in Edmore, Michigan, for decades was identified as a meteorite in 2018 by geologist Mona Sirbescu of Central Michigan University. The rock had been sitting in the barn for many years, having fallen from space in the 1930s. Farm owner's experience
The original owner of the farm reportedly saw the rock fall from the sky with a loud noise and retrieved it from a small crater the next morning. It was then stored with tools and forgotten until it was inherited by a new owner in 1988, who was only told it was an object that had fallen from the sky. Rock's unusual use
For about 30 years, the rock was used solely as a doorstop in the barn. It was even taken to school by the children of the farmhouse, who were unaware they were handling a fragment of a meteorite. Discovery of its true nature
The rock remained in use for nearly 80 years before its true nature was discovered. The discovery was made when the owner learned that similar fragments were valuable and decided to have the rock examined. Sirbescu used X-ray fluorescence to analyze the rock, confirming it was an extraterrestrial object composed of iron and nickel.
