Fragments said to be from the meteor that plunged over Russia's Ural region are being sold online in China at prices ranged from 8,000 yuan to 100,000 yuan (US$16,040).

Russian scientists have discovered fragments of the meteorite which exploded over the Urals in Lake Chebarkul near Chelyabinsk.

However, scientists warned yesterday that most of them could be fake.

Some sellers on shopping website taobao.com said the small rocks had been collected from the site of the Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant after nearly 1,200 people had been injured and thousands of homes damaged by the meteor on February 15.

"The fragments were picked by some of my Russian friends and the rocks, about 10 grams each, are still in Russia," said one vendor. His price was 8,600 yuan a piece and he claimed that wearing them could cure depression.

"They are quite rare stuff, no matter you believe or not," he said.

Another seller was charging 80,000 yuan for a 3-kilogram rock which he claimed had just been shipped to China from Russia. He required cash for it but refused requests for an interview.

The most expensive fragment, costing 100,000 yuan, was advertised using pictures that apparently came from Xinhua news agency.

Most of the fragments for sale online are fake because the genuine article would have a serial number granted by official international organizations, Tang Haiming, an official with the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory on Sheshan Hill, said.

Tang said many of the fragments were actually residue from steel-making that looked similar to pieces of the meteor.

But he discouraged people buying even genuine fragments. The ingredients of the meteor and whether they are harmful to human health was still unclear, Tang said.

Zhu Jin, curator of the Beijing Planetarium, said: "About 95 percent of claimed meteorite fragments are man-made."

Some Russian websites are also offering pieces for sale. Prices range from 100 to 1,000 rubles (about US$3 to US$33). Police have begun an investigation into the online sales.

Last week, Russian scientists said they had found pieces of the meteorite in the Chebarkul Lake near Chelyabinsk.

But some scientists say no large remnants exist, as the meteor was mainly composed of ice which almost completely evaporated during its entry into the Earth's atmosphere.

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