Millions on the rocks: how American earned a fortune by collecting meteorites
While hundreds of adventurers roam the planet in search of treasure, American Mike Farmer gathers them right under your feet. It is not gems, but their cost can reach millions of dollars. The man for several decades searching for pieces of meteorites. He had to get into life-threatening situations, but this game is worth the candle — the net profit of space rocks justify the risks. Learn more about hunter extraterrestrial objects of our material.48-year-old Mike from Tucson, Arizona, hunting for meteorites for many years. He sells minerals extraterrestrial astronomers-fans and collectors-billionaires. The cost of space rocks is very high. However, the risks faced man, too frightened. American compares himself with Indiana Jones, which overcomes dangers in search of treasure.
Mike's wife, melody, wasn't thrilled when he was going to spend the money borrowed on the sky with the fallen stones. But when her husband found a piece of a meteorite sold that they bought the house, the woman realized that it was a very profitable business.
American carried away the stones of extraterrestrial origin in 1995. In 1997, he saved up enough money to go to Morocco in search of rare specimens. There he managed to acquire a large piece of lunar meteorite. Later it turned out that its real value is around a million dollars. Unfortunately, after the first successful discoveries Mike unlucky few years, and the family's financial situation again deteriorated.
In 2009, the hunter space stones, found a large fragments Springwater the famous meteorite that crashed in Canada. The age of the meteorite is 4.5 billion years. It was found by local farmers in 1931. Mike with his friends sold the canadian government fragments of the meteorite, which they managed to get a million dollars.
For several decades American, managed to gather an impressive collection of fragments of meteorites. He sells them as astronomy, and billionaires who want to impress their environment with an unusual souvenir. Mike is working with customers from China and Silicon valley who are willing to pay a fortune for space rocks. Rumor has it that the minerals of extraterrestrial origin collect and Steve Jurvetson, and Elon Musk.
To find the fragments of the meteorite, you need to carefully calculate the place of his fall, given the size and trajectory. In addition, Mike is on the hunt for space rocks that fell to Earth many years ago, but was never detected. He plows the deserts of the Middle East, Africa and South America, where the minerals are the most common.
Once Oman's Jersey for one day was able to find 18 of the stones that lay in the desert hundreds and tens of thousands of years. In General, the man carried out a 21 a trip to this country, and the sale of found meteorites earned about two million dollars (about 148 million). During a recent trip to the omen Mike found himself in a dangerous situation.
In 2011, Oman, the man was in trouble. He was accused of illegal mining, was arrested and thrown in a cell in the center of military intelligence. A whole month Mike kept behind bars, interrogating every few hours. The American has lost 30 kg, indeed, during the detention, he gave just 200 grams of food a day.
Two months after his arrest, the seeker of meteorites has been released. In court, he proved that the collection of stones from the surface of the earth is not mining.
A few months later, the hunter space rocks almost said goodbye to my life in Kenya. At that time there fell a meteor shower, and Mike and I went to Africa in search of extraterrestrial treasures. They stayed in a luxury hotel in Nairobi and the American traveled through the surrounding villages, buying up parts of meteorites from local residents. On one trip he was attacked, to Rob and to capture, and then to purchase. Kenyans beat Mike and his driver and took the men into the jungle, threatening them with machetes and rifles. Fortunately, the prisoners managed to negotiate with hostile natives. They paid off in cash.
Despite all the trouble, in which I had to go to Mike, he's not going to stop hunting for meteorites. The man says that about 90% of space rocks is chondrites, fossils, formed during the formation of the Solar system.
However, there are some rare instances. For example, in 2019, Costa Rica dropped carbonaceous meteorite consisting of water, carbon, and amino acids. Mike managed to get its fragment. The American says that this is one of the most important science of meteorites that fell to Earth over the past 50 years.
Mike is not the only hunter minerals of extraterrestrial origin in the United States. He is competing with forty other seekers of space treasures, trying to get ahead of them on the way to valuable discoveries. However, researchers are kindly communicate with each other and even meet in bars for a glass of beer. American even tried meteorites taste. The man said that they crunch on the teeth like normal sand.
Some scholars oppose such hunting for space rocks, considering that the meteorite should be in private collections. However, Mike says that his work is necessary, because he and his companions enter into transactions including museums and science centres, providing them a unique copies. The man claims that he engaged in search of meteorites not only for income but also for the development of astronomy. Every work should be adequately paid, so Mike said honored impressive profit from their unusual finds.
The fall of the meteorite is an outstanding event. A unique event occurred in Alabama in 1954. Space rock fell right into the house and stabbed his mistress, lying on the sofa.
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