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Types and value of meteorites is it illegal to buy and sell meteorites?

Recently, it was reported that a meteorite landed in Jilin, which made many netizens interested in meteorites. So what is a meteorite? What are the types of meteorites? Is it illegal to sell meteorites? Let's take a look at this article.

What is a meteorite?

Meteorites, also known as' meteorites', are unburned stone, iron or a mixture of stone and iron that are rapidly scattered on the surface of the earth or other planets by cosmic meteors or dust fragments outside the earth.

Meteorite refers to the meteorite debris falling on the ground, which is composed of iron, nickel, silicate and other minerals, also known as meteorite. It also refers to meteorites with more or all stone. A large number of organic substances such as ammonia, nucleic acid, fatty acid, pigment and 11 amino acids have also been found in meteorites with high carbon content. Therefore, it is believed that the origin of life on earth is closely related to meteorites.

What are the types of meteorites?

1. Stone iron meteorite

Iron meteorites are composed of iron, nickel, silicon, acid and salt minerals. The content of iron and nickel metal is 30 to 65. These meteorites account for about 1.2 of the total meteorites, so they have the highest commercial value.

2. Meteorite

Meteorite is composed of silicate minerals such as olivine, pyroxene and a small amount of plagioclase. It also contains a small amount of metal iron particles, sometimes more than 20. Density 3 to 3.5. Meteorites account for 95% of the total meteorites.

Iron meteorite contains 90% iron and 8% nickel. Its surface is wrapped with a black or brown 1mm thick oxide layer called molten shell.

3. HOBA iron meteorite

Namibia (weighing 60 tons), scientists all over the world have collected a large number of meteorite samples in Antarctica and desert areas of Africa, including rare and precious lunar meteorites and Martian meteorites.

How much is a meteorite worth?

Since the 1970s, the price of meteorites has been almost the same as that of gold. Today, ordinary meteorites can also be sold for $500 ~ 600 per gram, while rare meteorites can reach $3000 ~ 6000 per gram.

Meteorites are sold at high prices in shopping malls around the world. Ordinary meteorite samples cost tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars per kilogram, while rare meteorites such as Mars and the moon cost tens of millions of dollars per kilogram. Even ordinary glass meteorites are valuable. Some media said that the high is the moon meteorite, which can be sold for $25000 a gram, with an average price of $500 a gram, far higher than the price of gold.

With the current hot auction market and the global meteorite collection fever, the prices of common meteorites in the market are as follows:

1. Meteorite: 1000-2000 / g

2. Meteorite: 3000-4000 / g

3. Iron meteorite: 6000-8000 / g

4. Glass meteorite: 10000-15000 / g

5. Lunar meteorite: 20000-30000 / g

6. Martian meteorite: 50000-80000 / g

Can meteorites be bought and sold?

The sale of meteorites is illegal.

According to Article 7 of the regulations on the protection and management of geological relics, the following geological relics shall be protected:

Karst, Danxia, loess, Yadan, granite peak, quartz sandstone peak forest, volcano, iceberg, meteorite, Mingsha, coast and other strange geological landscapes with great scientific research and ornamental value.

Article 17 No unit or individual may carry out quarrying, earth borrowing, mining, grazing, felling or other activities harmful to the protected objects in the protected area and within a certain range that may affect geological relics. Specimens and fossils shall not be collected within the reserve without the approval of the administrative agency.

Article 20 in accordance with the relevant provisions of the regulations of the people's Republic of China on nature reserves, the administrative organ of the geological relics protection zone may, depending on the circumstances, give a warning, fine, confiscate the illegal income and order compensation for the losses.