Brenda Salveson Stumbles Upon Meteorite Worth $20,000 In Local California Park

Brenda Salveson reenacts her rare find for local television.

A stay-at-home mom from the aptly named El Dorado County in California recently stumbled on something far more precious than gold.

Brenda Salveson found a meteorite potentially worth $20,000 in a local park where she brings her kids and dog, a local TV station in Sacramento reports.

“I was lucky, blessed, good karma,” Salveson told CBS Local. “It was sitting there at my toes like an Easter egg.”

The rock is one of many meteorites that fell from outer space, peppering Gold Country with primitive space rocks on April 22.

That meteor shower and Salveson's find drew hordes of scientists and treasure-seekers to the neighborhood, reports USA Today. It's a modern day retread of the historic California Gold Rush, which brought fortune hunters to the area in the mid-1800s.

According to CBS, Salveson geologists and scientists confirmed the rock was a rare meteorite. “As I opened my hand, there was a huge gasp,” Salveson said.

After finding the meteorite, Salveson's first stop was her son's elementary school classroom for a little show and tell. Her son, Tommy, told CBS Local it was "a little freaky when I shared it in my class."

Scientists told CBS Local the meteorite could be 4 to 6 billion years old, dating back to the early formation of the solar system. The Los Angeles Times reports that meteorites this rare could be worth up to $1,000 per gram.

Gold was first discovered in California in 1848 at Sutter's Mill, a few miles from Lotus, where Salveson found the treasure.

WATCH: Brenda Salveson finds rare meteorite while walking dog.

GALLERY: PAST METEOR SHOWERS

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Comments

[JainePa]

01:06 AM on 03/24/2013

that valuable why any security????!?!?!?

[Douglas Davis]

10:47 AM on 03/20/2013

How did she know it was a meteorite? Looks like a regular smooth river rock to me.

[Master Jace]

01:24 PM on 12/10/2012

I have one and more came down with it, I was out walking at night and saw them come down. One was as big as a 24inch monitor. The one I picked up and kept is about the size of a baseball. I took it to the college with me one day the science teacher wanted me to give it to the school. It was the day after my Grandfather passed away and I felt like it was him letting me know he was OK. SO I kept it. There is more where it came down, the big one hit the tree and broke off limbs I heard it. Not sure I would ever, ever sell mine but I would like to know more about it. I need to know who to contact about it first. I might take a walk and see how many more I can find it might be worth the time and effort to do it.

[Roscoe Nowlin]

09:33 AM on 10/10/2012

i find meteorites all the time i give them away

[pbarkeresq]

11:39 AM on 09/14/2012

If she found it in the public park, shouldn't the town or the county or whomever owns the park also own the meteorite?

[Harvee Wallbanger]

05:44 AM on 09/18/2012

I wouldn't put it past them to try and get a piece...

[MensaOtto]

05:53 PM on 05/31/2013

It wasn't attached to the realty.

[uniqumm]

06:13 AM on 06/08/2012

Was the tax collector waiting at her door when she returned?

[rav1267]

06:15 PM on 05/05/2012

Heavenly Money

[rdz69]

10:28 PM on 05/04/2012

1000. per gram is a hell of a lot more then 20000 dollars! Gold that size is worth a heck more then 20000 dollars-who writes these articles?

[cabinetmaniac]

08:18 AM on 05/05/2012

It was 17 grams.

:-]

[Jen Celli]

03:27 PM on 05/04/2012

How cool. I'd be excited to find something like this. Just imagine the origins of this rock and where it must have been before it arrived here. You could ponder that for hours. Much more interesting than Real Housewives of OC, or Snookie could ever be.

[papabear194853]

10:14 AM on 05/04/2012

i would hold out for more money somebody will pay more

[g9]

12:58 AM on 05/29/2012

you know this, how?

[Andy Schneider]

09:29 AM on 05/04/2012

Good for her! I hope she does something useful with it or the proceeds, if she sells it.

[imrustysmom]

07:30 AM on 05/04/2012

What a way to make your day! Lucky lady!

[Eric Graff]

06:37 AM on 05/04/2012

I thought it was illegal to remove items from a park, it belongs to the people not her WE WANT IT BACK!

[hanspij]

09:40 AM on 05/04/2012

Its also not alowed to litter.Fine that meteor.

[Rodrigo Valle]

02:00 PM on 05/04/2012

Too Funny both of you...

[AntyEm]

06:38 PM on 05/29/2012

She is going to spend all that money on lawyers trying to keep it. You can't remove things from a public park without permission. She may have already committed a criminal act.

[hadenoughalready2]

06:02 AM on 05/04/2012

Now that the park is full of treasure hunters, the only person that is going to find black gold is the porta- potty guy.

[tccat4]

05:42 AM on 05/04/2012

To me it just looks like rock.. does anyone know how to tell...plz

[rdz69]

10:29 PM on 05/04/2012

I believe weight is a key indicator-far more heavy then a rock.

[tccat4]

10:48 PM on 05/04/2012

TY...

[apeng dicitis]

08:49 PM on 07/16/2012

Check the rock's passport. He needs a visa to enter the United States. Got his picture,too.

[tccat4]

04:21 AM on 07/17/2012

Apeng..TY