How do you tell if your rock is a meteorite?

Meteorites have several properties that help distinguish them from other rocks:
  1. Density: Meteorites are usually quite heavy for their size, since they contain metallic iron and dense minerals.
  2. Magnetic: Since most meteorites contain metallic iron, a magnet will often stick to them.
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What rocks are mistaken for meteorites?

Magnetite and hematite are common iron-bearing minerals that are often mistaken for meteorites. Both minerals can occur as large masses with smooth surfaces that are heavier than typical rocks, but have some features which resemble meteorites.
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Do magnets stick to all meteorites?

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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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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What can be mistaken for a meteorite?

Magnetite and Hematite- Often mistaken for meteorites because they are magnetic.
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How To Identify a Meteorite



How much is a meteorite rock 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. "Meteorites are rarer than gold, platinum, diamonds or emeralds.
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Where can I test a meteorite?

You may try contacting the Geological Survey of your state, a local college or university or college or a local natural history museum. In addition, there are a few commercial firms that will charge a fee for examining and identifying suspected meteorites.
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What does a meteorite look like when it hits the ground?

Meteorites may resemble Earth rocks, but they usually have a burned exterior that can appear shiny. This “fusion crust” forms as the meteorite's outer surface melts while passing through the atmosphere. There are three major types of meteorites: the "irons," the "stonys," and the stony-irons.
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Are meteorite rocks 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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Are meteorites smooth or rough?

Freshly-fallen meteorites as found:

As you can see, the ~black outer layer is usually ~smooth, but finely textured. While meteorites themselves almost never contain any bubbles, the outer layer of crust can exhibit small bubbles (but usually doesn't). Note that none of these rocks has actually melted through.
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What kind of rocks attract magnets?

These are some of the more common minerals that demonstrate magnetic properties:
  • Babingtonite (weakly)
  • Chromite (weakly)
  • Columbite (weakly)
  • Ferberite (weakly)
  • Franklinite (weakly)
  • Ilmenite (weakly, always when heated)
  • Iron-nickel (attracted to magnets)
  • Magnetite (strongly)
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How can you tell the difference between a magnetite and a meteorite?

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 you find meteorites in your backyard?

But you—yes, you—can find your very own meteorites, and you don't need to be a millionaire to do it. You just need to think small. Micro, to be exact. Like meteorites, micrometeorites are space rocks that fall to Earth—but as their name suggests, they are also extremely tiny, less than a tenth of an inch in width.
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Can you pick up a meteorite?

Collect and handle meteorites using clean gloves, tongs, or new aluminum foil. Common, household aluminum foil is a reasonable and inexpensive means to handle meteorites. Simply tear a fresh piece of foil off of the roll and pick up the meteorite with it. You can keep the foil wrapped around the meteorite indefinitely.
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How hard is it to find a meteorite?

No one place is more likely than any other to have a meteor will break up and leave meteorites there, but it is much easier to find a meteorite in some places than others. Some land in the ocean, or in other places that are difficult to access or search, like thick rainforests.
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What is a 30 pound meteorite worth?

The Fifth-Largest Meteorite is Bigger than What Apollo Brought on Earth! The famous Christie's auction house is selling a chunk of the moon that is bigger than all the rocks that the Apollo astronauts previously brought back to Earth.
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How much is a 4 pound meteorite worth?

Meteor impacts on the moon or Mars can eject surface material into space that ends up on Earth. Last year a 10.5-ounce meteorite that originated on Mars fetched $94,000. A 4-pound lunar meteorite, the most expensive ever auctioned, sold for $330,000 in 2012.
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How do you price a meteorite?

Because meteorites are so scarce, they are priced and sold by the gram. Scarcity, availability, the size of the specimen, and the amount and quality of preparation that went into the piece can all affect price. Common iron meteorite prices are generally in the range of US$0.50 to US$5.00 per gram.
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What color are meteorites?

Meteors are bright and white in color, but using spectroscopy to separate the constituent colors in this light provides valuable information about their composition through their emission spectrum “fingerprint.” A meteorite may come from a comet, remnants from an asteroid collision, or another form of space debris.
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Are meteorites shiny?

The metal found in meteorites will be shiny and look like chrome. The appearance of the metal will not be a shiny gray sheen, that is often seen on some Earth rocks. Iron metal grains in rocks can also look like a space rock and are good indicators.
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Can you melt meteorite?

By melting it, it's restructuring, relayering and changing the cosmic history of it. Reopening it kind of? Yes, but it retains its original form, so the meteorite itself isn't entirely changed, it's still the same.
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