A US museum has to grapple with the intricacies of this law when trying to buy parts of a meteorite that allegedly landed in New Brunswick last month.
On April 8, a fireball shot through Earth’s atmosphere and landed somewhere in the province, prompting the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum to offer a $25,000 reward for the first recovered one-kilogram meteorite.
However, Chris Herd, a professor at the University of Alberta and curator of the meteorite collection there, said that getting the asteroid fragments by bidding isn’t as easy.
In Canada, all meteorites are automatically considered Canadian cultural property under the Cultural Property Export and Import Act, he said in an interview. […] If it’s public property, say an American walks in and finds it [la météorite], he must apply for export from Canada. He can’t actually take it out of Canada unless he has an approved export permit.
The Bethel, Maine museum has openly expressed an interest in procuring space debris if it is found.
Precious specimens
Darryl Pitt, head of the museum’s meteorite department, said Doppler radar readings suggest the meteorite — which most likely came from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter — was likely scattered between New Brunswick and Maine.
The museum’s interest also extends beyond the first 1 kg meteorite; A press release said he would buy any other specimens found.
Depending on the type of meteorite, the specimens could easily be worth their weight in gold, Pitt said.
Meteorites can be identified by a dark brown or black glassy outer crust that resembles an eggshell, Herd said.
It’s a telltale sign it’s passed through Earth’s atmosphere from space, he said, noting that they’re usually dense and surprisingly heavy.
Enlarge picture (New window)Meteorites are coveted objects for specialists and collectors. Even a piece of 10 to 50 grams has value.
Photo: Courtesy of Roberto Vargas
Anyone who finds all or part of a meteorite on public property must fill out an export application, which will be reviewed by an expert, said Herd, who is one himself.
The assessor could then say, “This is of outstanding potential importance and national importance,” he stated.
If the expert says, “I think it’s meaningful and important,” then [les services frontaliers du Canada] will recommend denial of the export license.
The file is then forwarded to a cultural property export review board, who may not agree with the reviewer, and allow the meteorite to be exported. Otherwise, a six-month embargo period could be imposed, during which Canadian institutions could offer to buy the meteorite at a fair price, he said.
Anyone who takes a meteorite out of Canada without the necessary permit could face a fine of up to $25,000, imprisonment for up to five years, or both.
Due diligence in purchasing
Despite his open interest in purchasing the meteorite, Mr. Pitt said his museum is aware of the regulations it must follow to obtain fragments.
The museum should always carefully verify that the meteorite was acquired legally before actually acquiring it, Herd said.
If it came from outside the United States, as would be the case in this scenario, they would have to do their due diligence and make sure the person legally exported it from Canada.
Mr Pitt said the responsibility for obtaining an export permit rests with anyone who finds a meteorite. For his part, he said the museum would be in touch with Mr Herd immediately to help arrange a deal.
“If Canada wants it, then it’s Canadian,” he said. I hope we can come to terms with our Canadian friends for a sample to arrive at the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum.
Mr Herd said he struck a deal with a US dealer for a piece of the Grimsby meteorite that impacted the Niagara region of southern Ontario in 2009.
They realized they couldn’t export it because it was a one-time drop, he said.
Because Canada is a huge country, Mr. Herd said thousands of meteorites could fall in remote locations.
I don’t think we would actually know how many of these exist anywhere in Canada. But they are part of Canada’s natural history. The law is there for a reason.