Meteorite Worth $20,000 In Local California Park

From: Dan M.

Sent: May 3, 2012

To: undisclosed recipients

Subject: Fw: Meteorite Worth $20,000 In Local California Park

Brenda Salveson Stumbles Upon Meteorite Worth $20,000 In Local California Park

A stay-at-home mom from the aptly named El Dorado County in California recently stumbled on something far more precious than gold.

Brenda Salveson found a meteorite potentially worth $20,000 in a local park where she brings her kids and dog, a local TV station in Sacramento reports.

“I was lucky, blessed, good karma,” Salveson told CBS Local. “It was sitting there at my toes like an Easter egg.”

The rock is one of many meteorites that fell from outer space, peppering Gold Country with primitive space rocks on April 22.


That meteor shower and Salveson's find drew hordes of scientists and treasure-seekers to the neighborhood, reports USA Today. It's a modern day retread of the historic California Gold Rush, which brought fortune hunters to the area in the mid-1800s.

According to CBS, Salveson geologists and scientists confirmed the rock was a rare meteorite. “As I opened my hand, there was a huge gasp,” Salveson said.

After finding the meteorite, Salveson's first stop was her son's elementary school classroom for a little show and tell. Her son, Tommy, told CBS Local it was "a little freaky when I shared it in my class."

Scientists told CBS Local the meteorite could be 4 to 6 billion years old, dating back to the early formation of the solar system. The Los Angeles Times reports that meteorites this rare could be worth up to $1,000 per gram.

Gold was first discovered in California in 1848 at Sutter's Mill, a few miles from Lotus, where Salveson found the treasure.