When Faustino Asensio Lopez, Spanish farmer has found the massive rock back in 1980, he didn’t even dream that could be an asteroid worth a whopping $5.3 million. To be more ironically, Lopez and his family members used it to cure meat (ham press) for over 30 years, since they believed the rock is military scrap from the country’s civil war.
Asteroid used as ham press by Spanish farmer for 30 years worth $5.3 million
Lopez discovered this mystery in 2011, when saw a TV report on meteorite sightings over Spain. Geologist Juan Carlos Gutierrez Marco confirmed his suspicions.
The 18x25x8 inches a pre-historic metallic meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an asteroid or comet that survives impact with the Earth’s surface, according to extensive analysis. It is the fourth such meteorite to be found in Spain.
Previously, meteorites were found near Quesa in 1898, near Granada in 1912 and near Zaragoza in 1950.
Researchers Rafael Lozano, Juan Carlos Gutierrez Marco, Eleuterio Baena, along with Ramon Asensio Lopez (right) with the meteorite in the place where it was found
Spanish farmer Faustino Asensio Lopez had no idea the rock he’d used for more than three decades as a ham press when curing meat was extraordinary
