Meteorites found in Canada cannot be removed from the country without a permit

Finding a meteorite is an exciting experience, but what if you wanted to sell it to someone in another country?

A fireball ripped through the Earth’s atmosphere on April 8 and resulted in a meteoric landing somewhere in New Brunswick, Canada. If a newly fallen meteorite is not recovered within a few months it is likely to be buried with alluvium or covered by plant growth.

This, in turn, prompted the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum to offer a $25,000 US reward for the first one-kilogram meteorite recovered. The museum’s interest extends beyond just the first 1-kg meteorite; a news release said it will buy any additional specimens found.

Should anyone be lucky enough to find the meteorite, or perhaps a few, pieces of it, they want to make sure they don’t run afoul of Canadian laws concerning meteorites.

Chris Herd, a professor at the University of Alberta and curator of its meteorite collection, said obtaining the asteroid fragments won’t be as simple as making an offer.

“In Canada, all meteorites are considered Canadian cultural property automatically through the Cultural Property Export and Import Act,” he said in an interview. “If it’s public property, say an American comes in and finds (the meteorite,) they have to apply to export it from Canada. They may not actually take it out of Canada unless they have an approved export permit.”

Actually, meteorite ownership laws vary around the world. So it is wise to research the laws governing ownership and the selling of meteorites in the country where the meteorite was found.

In the U.S. you have to own the property on which the meteorite was found for it to be considered yours. Meteorite hunters often make deals with landowners to hunt on their land for meteorites, often paying the landowner a fee to hunt for them.

For federal property, the U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management allows casual collection of up to 10 lbs. per year of meteorites, but you cannot sell them without obtaining a permit, and they are subject to other rules.

In other countries, the laws vary greatly. In some, meteorites found within its borders are the property of the country and therefore must be turned over to the state.

UNESCO adheres to the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting
and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.

This Convention, ratified by over 90 states, provides for tracking and retrieving from reciprocating states, cultural property including meteorites. Ratifying states may create a permitting agency like Canada’s.