Why Niger is investigating the $5 million sale of the largest Mars rock found on Earth | Metals Mine

  • Why Niger is investigating the $5 million sale of the largest Mars rock found on Earth

    From apnews.com

    t’s the largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth — a 54-pound (25-kilogram) meteorite that fetched more than $5 million at a New York auction last month, setting a world record. But in the West African nation of Niger, where the rusty-red rock was unearthed in the Sahara Desert, officials have launched an investigation into what they call possible “illicit international trafficking,” claiming it may have been smuggled out of the country. Here’s what to know about the meteorite and the legal dispute: Sotheby’s said the rock, named NWA 16788, was blown off the surface of Mars by a massive asteroid strike ... (full story)

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