Quizzes & Puzzles6 mins ago
From Outer Space
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If a meteorite lands on my driveway - does it become my property ?
If it lands on my car will my insurer pay for the damage or will it be classed as an act of God .
If it lands on my car will my insurer pay for the damage or will it be classed as an act of God .
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Some meteorites landed in Scotland in 1917 and ownership was discussed in a 1971 debate in the Lords.
"In this case there were four major fragments of meteorite, the heaviest being 20 lb. The confusion came right from the beginning. The local constabulary, having determined that there were no enemy aircraft in the area (it being 1917), decided that they ought to take possession of the meteorites. The Chief Constable of Perthshire came into action.
Unfortunately, the local constable had gone over the county boundary and had got one of the meteorites from the county of Forfarshire.
Consequently there was an unseemly wrangle between the two Chief Constables as to which of them owned the meteorite. The Procurator Fiscal laid claim to the meteorites and the Chief Constable of Forfarshire acidly drew attention to the fact that the Procurator Fiscal's office was next door to the office of the Chief Constable of Perthshire.
The Royal Scottish Museum laid claim to the meteorites against the claims of the King's Remembrancer, who, representing the Exchequer, also had a claim. A little later on the British Museum put in a claim for the meteorites.
Meantime, the tenants of the houses on which they had fallen decided that they had a right to them and the owners of the ground also laid claim.
The confusion was never quite properly sorted out and it nearly came to a lawsuit between the tenants of a cottage where the meteorite had landed through the roof and stuck in the ceiling but had not hit the ground, and the proprietrix of the cottage who, being wealthy and able to put the tenant out of the cottage at will, retained possession and was allowed to get away with the meteorite.
Eventually, two of the meteorites remained in private possession and, by adjustment, two went to museums.
The confusion was very great and there was at no time any chance of getting these meteorites quickly for analysis."
"In this case there were four major fragments of meteorite, the heaviest being 20 lb. The confusion came right from the beginning. The local constabulary, having determined that there were no enemy aircraft in the area (it being 1917), decided that they ought to take possession of the meteorites. The Chief Constable of Perthshire came into action.
Unfortunately, the local constable had gone over the county boundary and had got one of the meteorites from the county of Forfarshire.
Consequently there was an unseemly wrangle between the two Chief Constables as to which of them owned the meteorite. The Procurator Fiscal laid claim to the meteorites and the Chief Constable of Forfarshire acidly drew attention to the fact that the Procurator Fiscal's office was next door to the office of the Chief Constable of Perthshire.
The Royal Scottish Museum laid claim to the meteorites against the claims of the King's Remembrancer, who, representing the Exchequer, also had a claim. A little later on the British Museum put in a claim for the meteorites.
Meantime, the tenants of the houses on which they had fallen decided that they had a right to them and the owners of the ground also laid claim.
The confusion was never quite properly sorted out and it nearly came to a lawsuit between the tenants of a cottage where the meteorite had landed through the roof and stuck in the ceiling but had not hit the ground, and the proprietrix of the cottage who, being wealthy and able to put the tenant out of the cottage at will, retained possession and was allowed to get away with the meteorite.
Eventually, two of the meteorites remained in private possession and, by adjustment, two went to museums.
The confusion was very great and there was at no time any chance of getting these meteorites quickly for analysis."
According to an article in the Independent from 2011,
"Under UK law, a small sample of the meteorite - 20 per cent of the total mass, or 20gms, whichever is the smaller - must be donated to an institution. The rest is owned by the finder, and/or landowner."
I had a quick Google but I can't find anything to substantiate that claim.
"Under UK law, a small sample of the meteorite - 20 per cent of the total mass, or 20gms, whichever is the smaller - must be donated to an institution. The rest is owned by the finder, and/or landowner."
I had a quick Google but I can't find anything to substantiate that claim.
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