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A Michigan man curious about a rock he'd used for decades as a doorstop now knows its secret: it's a meteorite worth $100,000.
密歇根一名男子对他数十年来用来支撑大门的一块石头充满好奇，现在他终于知道了其中的秘密：这块石头居然是一块价值10万美元的陨石。
In fact, the nearly 23-pound hunk of iron and nickel is the sixth largest meteorite found in Michigan, according to the Smithsonian Museum and Central Michigan University.
据史密森尼博物馆和中密歇根大学的数据显示，事实上，这颗重近23磅的铁镍陨石是在密歇根发现的第六大的陨石。
David Mazurek said he took his doorstop to the university for examination after seeing reports in January of meteorite pieces selling for thousands of dollars.
大卫·马祖雷克称，在看到今年1月有关陨石碎片卖了几千美元的报道后，他带着这块石头，前往中密歇根大学进行鉴定。
"I said, 'Wait a minute. I wonder how much mine is worth,'" Mazurek said.
马祖雷克说：“我说，‘等一等，我想看看我的能值多少钱’。”
University Geology Professor Mona Sirbescu first identified the piece as more than just a rock. She then sent two small slices of the rock to the Smithsonian for confirmation.
该校地质学教授莫娜·西贝斯库首先鉴别出这不是一块普通的石头。然后她把其中两小块送到了史密森尼博物馆去鉴定。
"I could tell right away that this was something special," she said. "It's the most valuable specimen I have ever held in my life, monetarily and scientifically."
她说道：“我马上就觉得这个东西很不一样。无论是从科学上还是从其价值而言，这都是我手里拿过的最宝贵的样品。”
Mazurek said the meteorite came with a barn he bought in 1988 in Edmore. He said the farmer who sold him the property told him it landed in his backyard in the 1930s.
马祖雷克称，他是在1988年在埃德莫尔购买农场时得到这块陨石的。卖出农场的农民告诉他，这块石头是在20世纪30年代落到这个农场上的。
More tests are being conducted to see if the meteorite contains rare elements.
研究人员还作了许多测试，以确认陨石里是否含有稀有元素。
"What typically happens with these at this point is that meteorites can either be sold and shown in a museum or sold to collectors and sellers looking to make a profit," Sirbescu said.
西贝斯库教授说：“这种陨石通常都是卖给博物馆展出，或者是卖给期望从中获利的收藏家的。”
The Smithsonian and a mineral museum in Maine are considering purchasing the specimen.
史密森尼博物馆和缅因州的一家矿物博物馆正在考虑购买这块陨石。
