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Every year, around 1,800 space rocks strike Earth's surface, many unnoticed or lacking unusual tales. However, some meteorites have wild histories or pose unique dangers. From the only person ever killed by a meteorite to a cosmic stone that hid a comet, these 10 intriguing meteors will captivate your imagination.
10. The Doorstopper
In 1988, David Mazurek bought a farm in Edmore, Michigan. While touring the property with the previous owner, he spotted a peculiar rock propped up against a shed door. Curious, he inquired about it. Without hesitation, the seller revealed it was a meteorite. He and his father had seen it fall from the sky in the 1930s, and it had landed on their property. Remarkably, the seller gave the rock to Mazurek.
For the next 30 years, the meteorite served as a simple doorstop. Eventually, Mazurek learned that others were selling meteorite fragments for considerable sums. Since his specimen weighed 22 pounds (10 kg), he decided to have it appraised at Central Michigan University.
Now known as the Edmore meteorite, this remarkable space rock was found to contain a significant amount of nickel. It not only became one of the largest meteorites to ever hit Michigan, but it was also scientifically and financially valuable. Eventually, Mazurek sold his 'doorstop' to Michigan State University’s Abrams Planetarium for an impressive $75,000.
9. The Maryborough Meteorite
In 2015, David Hole embarked on a metal detecting adventure in Maryborough Regional Park, located near Melbourne, Australia. This park lies within the Goldfields region, which had been a hotspot during the 19th-century gold rush. When Hole discovered a peculiar red rock with a dimpled surface, he was certain there was gold inside. Despite his efforts, using acid baths, drills, and an angle grinder, he couldn't crack it open and eventually gave up.
Years later, his curiosity reignited, and he brought the rock to the Melbourne Museum for identification. To his surprise, the 'gold' was actually a rare, 4.6-billion-year-old meteorite.
A diamond drill eventually chipped off a piece, revealing that the rock was a chondrite meteorite. Chondrites are known for their high iron content and distinct crystallized minerals called chondrules. Weighing in at a solid 37.5 pounds (17 kg), it became the second-largest chondrite meteorite ever found.
This rock is so ancient that it was formed during a time when the solar system had no planets. Over millennia, it likely became part of the debris in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, until some event disrupted its orbit and sent it hurtling toward Australia. Hole was incredibly fortunate that this sequence of events led to the rock’s discovery.
8. The Driveway Meteorite
In 2021, a huge fireball blazed across the skies, visible to thousands across the United Kingdom. The Wilcock family, living in Winchcombe, heard a rattling noise outside their home. Since it was already dark, they waited until the following morning to investigate. That’s when they found something unusual in their driveway. Scattered across the pavement were small, dark fragments resembling barbecue briquettes.
These pieces turned out to be from the first meteorite to land in the UK in 31 years. Even more remarkable, it was a rare carbonaceous chondrite meteorite, which astonished the expert who came to examine it. The rock was roughly 4.5 billion years old, having formed long before the Earth. Its real value lies in the fact that it has remained almost unchanged over time, offering researchers a rare glimpse into the early solar system.
7. This Meteorite Was Turned Into a Weapon
Around 1873 or 1874, archaeologists discovered an iron arrowhead near a Swiss lake. At first, they didn’t grasp the significance of the artifact, and it was soon forgotten in a museum collection. However, recent researchers revisited the rusty object and conducted some tests.
Surprisingly, the new analysis uncovered that the arrowhead was crafted from iron derived from a meteorite that fell 3,000 years ago. Initially, researchers believed the material might match pieces from the Twannberg meteorite, which landed near the discovery site. But further testing revealed that the arrowhead was not linked to the Twannberg meteorite.
Instead, it is now thought that the iron originated from a meteorite that struck Estonia around 1500 BC. This discovery suggested that people were unexpectedly trading meteoric iron as early as 800 BC, long before historians had realized. The connection between Switzerland and this ancient meteorite was previously unknown.
6. This One Hit a Pillow
In 2021, a Canadian woman named Ruth Hamilton woke up to her dog urgently barking. Suddenly, there was an explosion, followed by debris falling from the ceiling. Thinking her home was under attack, she quickly called emergency services. While on the phone with the police, Hamilton noticed a large rock, about the size of a fist, resting between her pillows—along with a hole in the roof.
When the police arrived at the scene, they initially suspected that a detonation from a nearby construction site had accidentally propelled a rock into the woman's home. However, after investigating the area, the officers confirmed that no such detonation had occurred. The construction crew did report hearing a loud boom and observing an explosion in the sky shortly before Hamilton made the call. It soon became apparent that a meteorite had crashed into her bed, a highly improbable occurrence, yet a stroke of extraordinary luck for the homeowner.
5. The First Meteorite Fatality
On average, around 17 meteorites strike Earth's surface every day. Remarkably, there are no reliable modern records of anyone being killed by a meteorite.
However, in 2020, historical documents from a Turkish archive revealed that the history of meteorite strikes was not entirely without casualties. According to these papers, on August 22, 1888, a massive fireball lit up the night sky before meteorites rained down on a small village, which is now part of Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. This bombardment lasted for approximately 10 minutes, during which two men were struck—one died, and the other was left paralyzed.
There is no doubt that the event took place. Although the meteorite itself is now missing, the three official documents—written by local authorities, including a grand vizier, to report the incident to the government—are compelling evidence of its occurrence.
4. Lethal Mid-Air Encounter—A Close Call
In June of 2012, a group of skydivers made a jump from a plane over Rena, Norway. Among them was Anders Helstrup, wearing a helmet mounted with two cameras. This turned out to be incredibly fortunate, as what followed was nothing short of life-threatening, and few would have believed the tale without proof.
As the plane reached an altitude of 2.29 miles (3,700 m), Helstrup jumped out and deployed his parachute at about 0.68 miles (1,100 m). Moments later, something zoomed past him so rapidly that he almost didn’t notice it. What he didn’t realize was that he had narrowly avoided a fatal collision.
Upon reviewing the footage, experts identified the object as a meteorite in its 'dark flight' phase—when the fireball has extinguished, leaving only the rock. Helstrup now holds the unique distinction of being the only person to capture a meteorite in this phase. A geologist, analyzing the size and speed of the rock, described Helstrup as 'insanely lucky,' explaining that had the 11-pound (5-kg) rock, traveling at 186 miles per hour (300 km/h), struck him, it would have torn him apart.
3. The One That Returned
In 2018, a black rock was discovered in Morocco, labeled with the rather unremarkable name 'Northwest Africa (NWA) 13188.' However, this 1.42-pound (646-gram) specimen turned out to be far more fascinating than it first appeared.
Upon examining the rock's composition and radiation levels, scientists uncovered two astounding facts. The meteorite had originated from Earth and spent thousands of years drifting through space. In other words, it formed on Earth, was somehow launched into space, and then traveled for millennia before re-entering Earth’s atmosphere and landing in Morocco.
NWA 13188 is the only meteorite known to have completed this remarkable journey. But what initially propelled the rock into space? That remains an unsolved mystery. Its composition suggests it may have been formed by a volcanic eruption, but it's unlikely that a volcanic blast had the force to send NWA 13188 into orbit. Some scientists speculate that an asteroid impact could have had enough energy to hurl the rock into the solar system.
2. The Meteorite-Comet Hybrid
Comets and asteroids originate from the same cosmic nursery, having formed from the dust and gas surrounding a very young Sun. The key difference between them lies in the distance from the Sun at which they formed, with comets typically originating farther out, which also explains their differing compositions and appearances.
In 2019, researchers made an exciting discovery when they cut open a meteorite found in Antarctica's LaPaz Icefield. Identified as a rare chondrite, this meteorite was unique even among its kind, as it contained an unexpected surprise: a tiny fragment of a comet.
Around three million years ago, an asteroid captured a speck of carbon-rich material—precursor to comets—and preserved it in perfect condition. Eventually, the asteroid shattered, and the fragment containing the comet fragment entered Earth’s atmosphere, landing in Antarctica as a meteorite.
1. Minerals Unknown to Science
When the El Ali meteorite was found in Somalia in 2020, it was already a remarkable find. Meteorites are typically small, weighing just a few ounces or pounds. But this one was a massive 16.5 tons (15 metric tons).
The boulder was identified as an Iron IAB complex meteorite, made primarily of meteoric iron with scattered silicate flecks. But hidden amidst the metal and silicon compounds was something entirely unknown, soon drawing everyone's attention away from the meteorite's colossal size.
The discovery of the bonus was unveiled when a small piece of the rock was taken and examined. Through a microscope, human eyes observed for the first time not just one, but two minerals that had never been found before. These were later named elaliite and elkinstantonite.
