Are meteorites black inside?

So, right after they fall, most meteorites have a black crust on the outside, and they range from ~white to ~black on the inside.
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What color is the inside of a meteorite?

Iron meteorites have a dense, silvery appearing interior with no holes or crystals. Stony iron meteorites are about half metal, half crystals of green or orange olivine. Stony meteorites contain small flecks of metal that are evenly distributed throughout the meteorite.
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Are meteorites always black?

This is a porous lava rock which is very common to find in the desert. Black lava is black throughout. Meteorites are not normally completely black. Very small and lightweight pieces of lava rocks may stick weakly to a magnet, but whole rocks will not hold a magnet.
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How can I tell if I found a meteorite?

Meteorites have several properties that help distinguish them from other rocks:
  • Density: Meteorites are usually quite heavy for their size, since they contain metallic iron and dense minerals.
  • Magnetic: Since most meteorites contain metallic iron, a magnet will often stick to them.
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How much is a black meteorite worth?

Meteorites are quite valuable, worth as much as $1,000 per gram, according to the LiveScience website. Kellyco Metal Detectors posted on eBay that it can sell for $300 per gram or more — meaning 1 pound could be worth $1 million.
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Tell if the Rock You Found Might Be a Meteorite



Are meteorites magnetic?

Meteorites are not magnets – they do not attract paper clips or pins. Most (>95%) meteorites (chondrites, iron meteorites), however, do attract a magnet because they contain a lot of iron-nickel metal. If you have a rock that does not attract a magnet, then almost certainly it is not a meteorite.
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How do you identify a stony meteorite?

Streak Test: Scratch your specimen on a ceramic tile. “Unless it is heavily weathered, a stony meteorite typically won't leave a streak mark on the ceramic.” (7) If the streak is black or gray, your sample is likely magnetite. If it is a red or brown streak, you probably have hematite.
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Do all meteorites stick to magnets?

But be careful—not all meteorites attract magnets; only the meteorites that are rich in iron (such as iron or stony-iron meteorites) will attract magnets. Some meteorites, like those from the Moon which are only made up of rocky minerals, will not be attracted to a magnet.
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What are the chances of finding a meteorite?

The chance of finding a meteorite is exceedingly small. Since 1900, about 1800 meteorites have been found in North America. That is about 15 per year. About two thirds of meteorites found in the United States have been found in arid regions of California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Kansas.
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How can I test a meteorite at home?

Take the sample which you think is a meteorite and scratch it quite vigorously on the unglazed side of the tile. If it leaves a black/gray streak (like a soft leaded pencil) the sample is likely magnetite, and if it leaves a vivid red to brown streak it is likely hematite.
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Can you keep a meteorite if you find it?

In the US, if you find a meteorite on your land, you own it. And if you buy a meteorite from someone who found it on their land, you legally own it too. But the US government has stated that no matter who finds a meteorite on public lands, it belongs to the Smithsonian Institute.
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Can you touch a meteorite?

Try not to handle any freshly fallen meteorites with your bare hands! Oils and microbes from your skin will slowly degrade the surface of a meteorite, dulling the fusion crust, contaminating the meteorite, and promoting rust.
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What do you do if you find a meteorite?

If you find a meteorite on the ground following an observed fall, take a photograph of it before picking it up. Look around for other specimens; most meteorites break into several pieces before hitting the ground; these pieces could be many tens of meters apart.
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What's the difference between a meteor and a meteorite?

Think of them as “space rocks." When meteoroids enter Earth's atmosphere (or that of another planet, like Mars) at high speed and burn up, the fireballs or “shooting stars” are called meteors. When a meteoroid survives a trip through the atmosphere and hits the ground, it's called a meteorite.
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How much is an iron meteorite worth?

Common iron meteorite prices are generally in the range of US$0.50 to US$5.00 per gram. Stone meteorites are much scarcer and priced in the US$2.00 to US$20.00 per gram range for the more common material.
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What does the inside of magnetite look like?

Chemical Makeup

Magnetite is made up of iron oxide, making it opaque and metallic, much like a meteorite could appear; some other meteorites, however, can be brown or gray. Most meteorites contain an iron and nickel alloy, while terrestrial rocks like magnetite most often do not contain nickel.
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Can a meteorite have quartz in it?

Meteorites do not contain any substantial amount of quartz, whereas quartz is common in many terrestrial rocks. Quartz is harder than any of the common minerals in meteorites. Quartz is so hard that it will easily make a deep scratch in glass.
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Is there gold in a meteorite?

The reported gold contents of meteorites range from 0.0003 to 8.74 parts per million. Gold is siderophilic, and the greatest amounts in meteorites are in the iron phases. Estimates of the gold content of the earth's crust are in the range ~f 0.001 to 0.006 parts per million.
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What rocks are mistaken for meteorites?

Industrial slag also has a melted appearance and usually contains bubbles. It is, therefore, commonly mistaken for meteorites. Slag, however, has melted all the way through, rather than having a very thin crust, and contains large gas bubbles.
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What does a fallen meteorite look like?

Freshly fallen meteorites, naturally broken and cut:

Most of the broken stones fragmented in the atmosphere or when they landed on a hard surface. As you can see, they range from ~light grey to black inside. There are a few other details you might have noticed…a few have started to oxidize (3rd, 6th images).
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How do you clean a meteorite?

Half-fill a small bowl with water before adding a few heaped spoonfuls of baking powder and dumping in the meteorites. Leave them to fizz for about half an hour before taking them out and fully drying them off. Next, you soak them in oil for a few minutes before removing and wiping mostly dry with kitchen roll.
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What black rocks are magnetic?

The surface of our planet is rich in terrestrial iron oxides such as magnetite and hematite (many of which will stick to a magnet), dark black rocks such as basalt, and many different types of man-made metallic by-products such as runoff (slag) from old smelters, and castoff iron implements that have corroded over time ...
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What does a magnetite rock look like?

Magnetite is black or brownish-black with a metallic luster, has a Mohs hardness of 5–6 and leaves a black streak. Small grains of magnetite are very common in igneous and metamorphic rocks. The chemical IUPAC name is iron(II,III) oxide and the common chemical name is ferrous-ferric oxide.
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Can meteorites have crystals?

Meteorites do not have shiny crystal surfaces like terrestrial rocks. Some meteorites do have crystals but the presence of a lot of iron will make them obvious meteorites. Meteorites do not have layers of minerals in them.
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