[Procyon]

In most countries mineral rights (including meteorites) belong to the state. In the U.S.A, meteorites are the property of the land owner.

Now if they don't see you reach down to pick up something you dropped, who's to say where you found it?

[Political Junkie Too]

Now if they don't see you reach down to pick up something you dropped, who's to say where you found it?

Probably the thousands of people who saw it streak across the sky, and the scientists who tracked its trajectory to its probable landing point, and the discovery of more rocks in the scatter zone.

A non-land-owner with one of these rocks could circumstantially be accused of poaching, especially if they are as rare as the people cited in the article suggest.

-PJ

[cicero2k]

I know in certain parts of the desert, you can get arrested operating a metal detector; ot at least that is what I thought I saw on some TV show.