Leaving no stone unturned to find ‘owner’ of R97m rock

The recent auction of a Martian meteorite – for a record-grabbing $5.3 million (about R92.7 million) at Sotheby’s New York – has sparked questions over its provenance and renewed debate over who gets to claim rocks fallen from the heavens.

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Washington –

The hefty 25kg stone is the largest Martian meteorite yet discovered on earth, according to its Sotheby’s listing, and was found in November 2023 in the vast Saharan desert in Niger.

The government of Niger has announced it will open an investigation, following the auction, saying it appears to “have all the characteristics of illicit international trafficking”.

On Friday, the government suspended exports of precious stones and meteorites until further notice.