Niger: Largest Martian Rock Discovered on Earth Lost

The Niger government has officially opened a large-scale investigation into the sale of a meteorite originating from Mars at auction in New York (USA).

The rare object was discovered in the Agadez region of northern Niger and is considered "the largest Martian rock ever discovered on Earth."

According to the announcement from the Council of Ministers meeting of Niger on July 19, in response to signs that illegal cross-border trafficking may exist, the government has directed four ministries, including the Ministry of Mines, Higher Education , Public Security and Justice, to urgently investigate and clarify the case.

Sotheby's, the auction house that organized the auction in New York, said the meteorite weighed 24.67kg and was discovered on November 16, 2023 in Niger.

The object accounts for 6.5% of the total mass of Martian material identified to date globally, and is about 70% larger than the second-largest Martian sample ever recorded.

According to Sotheby's statistics, out of more than 77,000 officially recorded meteorites worldwide , only about 400 specimens have been identified as originating from Mars. This further confirms the special rarity of the meteorite that was recently auctioned for nearly 5 million USD./.

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/niger-tang-da-sao-hoa-lon-nhat-duoc-phat-hien-tren-trai-dat-bi-that-lac-post1050591.vnp