48.5 Tons Of Space Rock Head Towards Earth Daily, And Here’s Who Gets To Claim Ownership When It Hits Us

Europe at night viewed from space with city lights showing human activity in Germany, France, Spain, Italy and other countries, 3d rendering of planet Earth, elements from NASA
NicoElNino - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only

Each day, roughly 48.5 tons of space rock hurtle toward Earth. While meteorites that fall into the ocean are lost forever, those that crash on land often spark disputes over who has the right to claim ownership of them.

Meteorite hunting has become a lucrative business around the world, with chunks of space rock being traded online and shipped between countries.

Meteorites can tell us a lot about the universe, but many significant finds are being lost to private collectors instead of contributing to science.

New Zealand officially recorded a meteorite the size of an apple last year. It weighed nearly two pounds. It fell on land occupied by the Department of Conservation in the central South Island near Takapō.

Jack Weterings, a member of Fireballs Aotearoa—a citizen science group that tracks meteorites—recovered the meteorite. It has ignited debates over how such finds should be regulated.

Multiple meteorites have been recorded in New Zealand throughout the years. For example, there was the Ellerslie meteorite that crashed through the roof of the Archers’ home in Auckland on June 12, 2004. It bounced off the sofa and settled in the middle of the living room floor.

The meteorite became a global sensation, and many people from all over the world offered to buy it. The Archers were a retired couple and refused to take any of these offers. Instead, they opted to sell it to the Auckland War Memorial Museum, where it went on public display.

Geologists at the University of Otago have spent most of 2024 poring over the Takapō meteorite, but the question of who it belongs to still remains because it was found on public land.

Even though they came from space, the ownership of meteorites is determined by the law of the country where they are discovered.

Europe at night viewed from space with city lights showing human activity in Germany, France, Spain, Italy and other countries, 3d rendering of planet Earth, elements from NASA
NicoElNino – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only

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Each country has a different approach. Some allow meteorites to be privately owned, while others require mandatory state ownership with no compensation.

New Zealand, along with France, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom, declare that ownership depends on where the meteorite lands. If it falls onto private property, the landowner is the legal owner of the space rock.

For meteorites that crash onto public property, the rule of “finders keepers” must be followed. That means Fireballs Aotearoa is the legal owner of the Takapō meteorite, thanks to Jack Weterings. The organization pledges to donate all that it obtains to museums.

However, not all meteorite hunters are so generous. Commercial meteorite hunting can be a good source of income, especially in China. Some meteorites can go for millions of dollars online.

Several places have implemented regulations for meteorite hunting. In New Zealand, the export of movable protected objects is heavily restricted. Meteorites count as protected objects, so the chief executive of the Ministry for Culture and Heritage must give permission for meteorites to be exported.

If meteorites are exported illegally, they will be automatically confiscated. The perpetrators will also be slapped with a hefty fine and a prison sentence of up to five years.

Emily  Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a ... More about Emily Chan

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