Field Museum scientist discovers large meteorite in Antarctica, 'This is the first time that I have found one myself'

CHICAGO (CBS) -- One scientist from the Field Museum made a very cool discovery.

She recently returned to Chicago after finding a massive meteorite in the Antarctic. It weighs nearly 17 pounds and could hold secrets about the beginning of our solar system.

CBS 2's Sara Machi sat down with her to hear about the remarkable find.

Of all the discoveries made in the Field Museum, all the meteorites on display, Maria Valdes said her favorite is the one that she found thousands of miles away.

"This is the first time that I have found one myself, and that of course makes it all the more exciting," said Field Museum scientist Maria Valdes. 

It's her first day back after a month in Antarctica, where on the last day, in the last hour of her expedition, made a massive discovery.

"Just as we were about to turn around, we found this big 17 pounder. Just sitting by itself in the middle of a blue icefield," Valdes said, adding her heart started to pound when she saw it. "We all looked at each other, sort of hesitant glances, excited glances because we knew that if what we were looking at was a meteorite, then we had really hit the mother lode here."

This is what they found -- A nearly 17 pound meteorite, that along with the micro-meteorites already back in Chicago, could help these cosmo-chemists better understand the very beginnings of our solar system.

"Of course, the more samples we have then the more likely we are to fill out that story," Valdes said.

Valdes said they carefully wrapped and transported the rock to their base camp, one of the largest ever discovered.

"Most of the meteorites collected in our collections now are from Antarctica. And we have 45,000 of them. But only 100 are this size or larger. And that's pretty exciting," she said.

Valdes team also found several smaller meteorites, but the big one is now in Belgium where it's being cataloged and will have its first public display.

Then, the idea amongst all the researchers is to have a travelling exhibition in the future, so it will eventually land in Chicago at the Field Museum. 

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