Niger wants answers after the largest piece of Mars sold at an auction for more than $ 5 million

It is the Greater Mars ever found on Earth -A 54 -pound meteorite that obtained more than $ 5 million in a New York auction last month, establishing a world record.

But in the nation of Western Africa of Niger, where the rusty red rock was unearthed in the Sahara desert, officials have initiated an investigation into what they call possible “illicit international traffic”, claiming that it may have been smuggled out of the country. Sotheby’s, the auction house, has played the claim.

The Niger government says it has launched an official investigation “to identify the circumstances of its discovery and sale.” While the country does not have specific legislation regarding meteorites, an international heritage law is being sought.

This is what you should know about the meteorite and the legal dispute:

How the meteorite was found

Sotheby’s said the rock, called NWA 16788, was expelled from the surface of Mars For a massive asteroid attack and traveled 140 million miles to Earth.

“The chances that this obtaining is astronomically small,” said Cassandra Hatton, Vice President of Science and Natural History of Sotheby’s, in a video of the auction house.

Was discovered in the Sahara In northwestern Niger for a meteorit hunter in November 2023, according to the auction house. His identity was not revealed. Nor was the buyer’s identity last month.

Meteorite hunting is growing in Saharan arid countries such as Niger. Although Meteorites can fall anywhere on EarthSahara has become a main place for discovery in part due to the favorable climate for its preservation.

Hunters often look for space rocks that can be sold to collectors or scientists. The rarest and most precious are from Mars and the Moon.

According to the Heritage Academic Journal, The Rock was sold to an international concessionaire before he ended up in a private gallery in Italy. A team of scientists from the University of Florence examined the rock last year to learn more about its structure and where it came before falling to Earth, the publication said.

The meteorite was also briefly exhibited in Rome before it was seen in public in New York last month during the auction. It is the largest meteorite on Mars, but not the largest meteorite ever found. According to NASA, a meteorite originally weighed more than 100 tons once fell in Namibia.

Why Niger is investigating

After the sale, Niger raised questions about how the meteorite was sold at the auction.

The Niger government announced an investigation last month to determine the circumstances of the discovery and the sale of the meteorite, saying in a statement that was “similar to Illicit International Traffic.”

Last week, President Abdourahamane Tiani suspended the export of “precious stones, semi -precious stones and meteorites throughout the country” to guarantee their traceability.

Sotheby’s, which auction regularly meteorites, said in a statement sent to News that the meteorite was exported from Niger and transported in line with all relevant international procedures.

“As with everything we sell, all the necessary documentation was in order at each stage of its trip, according to the best practices and requirements of the countries involved,” reads the statement.

The authorities in Niger did not answer the AP questions.

What international law says

While global agreements exist to regulate the trade of cultural artifacts, there is ambiguity on whether meteorites are covered.

Patty Gerstenblith, Cultural Heritage Lawyer and expert in illicit trade, said that according to the UNESCO Convention on Cultural Property, which Niger and the United States have ratified, meteorites can qualify as cultural property.

However, Gerstenblith said that Niger needs to demonstrate that he owned the meteorite and was stolen, since the illegal export of the country does not make the meteorite illegal in the United States.

“If the meteorite was not stolen and if it declared properly when importing the US.

Some countries, such as Morocco, one of the main sources of meteorites in the international market, require restitution if objects are discovered in their territory. But the application has been a challenge due to the vast areas of the desert and informal commercial networks.

• Niger
• Mars