Russian Meteorite Worth Big Money; Draws Meteorite Hunters

Not only are they dangerous but apparently meteorites are worth big many as well.

According to the Guardian, the tiny fragments of the space rock that streaked and eventually crashed into Russia last Friday are valued at $10,000 a piece. The out of this world prices have drawn meteorite hunters to the crash site to cash in on the disaster.

The meteorite struck Chelyabinsk in the early hours of the morning of Feb. 15. According to the Russian Academy of Sciences, the meteor weighed 10 tons and entered the Earth's atmosphere at a speed of 33,000 mph.. The meteorite began to crumble into thousands of deadly pieces when it was 18 to 32 miles above ground. After the crash, which resembled a scene out of a Hollywood film, 1,100 people were injured and 50 severely enough to be hospitalized.

Now, after the panic has subsided, meteorite search parties have descended on the south central providence of Russia. But experts say the search ahead is going to be tedious and difficult.  And potential buyers of these space rocks should be on guard as plenty of frauds are also expected to circulate in the meteorite trade market.

"The only way to tell for sure is to look at the specimen under a microscope," Dr. Natalie Starkey, a cosmochemist at the Open University who specialises in the study of meteorites, told the Guardian.

"Some minerals, such as biotite, only form on Earth. A specialist will be able to identify those and then rule out whether it's a meteorite. The only truly definitive test, though, is to examine the specimen for oxygen isotopes. Anything that originated on earth will fall within a particular range of isotopes. Anything outside this range will mean it is extra-terrestrial in origin," she said.

She adds that the Chelyabinsk meteorite is expected to be among the best sellers on the market, fetching high prices. The video of the meteorite as it streaked through the sky and the sensation that followed will raise the meteorite's price.

"If it had originated from Mars, though, it would be far rarer and command an even greater price among collectors. Even so, this will be big business for the meteorite dealers," Starkey said.