Is it a Meteorite?
Where do we find meteorites?
Every square foot of Earth has the same chance to catch a meteorite, but that means only in very rare cases do they land directly outside your house. Instead, people have to go hunting for them.
The best places to find meteorites are very old, dry landscapes. The older the land, the longer it has had for meteorites to land on it. Drier places also mean that the meteorites weather more slowly and there's less vegetation to cover them up. In an ideal world, we would also like the natural stone and soil to be a completely different color to meteorites so that we can easily spot them.
Most meteorites being collected today come from countries in northwestern Africa like Morocco and Algeria, from the Australian outback, the Atacama desert, and Antarctica.
What do meteorites look like?
The majority of meteorites are dark colored stones that feel much heavier than you'd expect and often look out of place. Most are magnetic and a freshly fallen meteorite will have a delicate, black glassy layer on the outer surface called a "fusion crust". This can flake off and reveal the inside of the meteorite and you might be able to see meteorite-specific features like chondrules. The longer a meteorite has been on the surface, the more weathered it gets. Old meteorites can be very fragile so scientists, museums, collections, and repositories work hard to keep them safe.
Be careful though! Lots of Earth's rocks look very similar to meteorites, and many weathering processes can mimic the look of a fusion crust.
Meteorwrongs
"Meteorwrong" is an affectionate term used by meteorite researchers for rocks that look like meteorites, but aren't. The most common meteorwrongs include stones with desert varnish (a coating that forms in hot, arid environments), mining waste, iron ore or iron ore-bearing rocks, terrestrial igneous rocks, and we've also seen some very convincing limestone.
We can often identify a meteorwrong from a photo but sometimes it can be quite difficult. At that point, we have to carry out the same sort of analysis we would do for a meteorite. This is a time consuming process and can be expensive, so we only do this when we think there's enough of a chance that it could be a meteorite.
Lastly, keep in mind that meteorwrongs are much more common than meteorites!
What should I do if I find a fresh meteorite?
If you come across a freshly fallen meteorite (which does happen), here are a few things you should do.
Take a photo of the rock where it is, making sure there's plenty of light and the image is in focus.
Make note of where you found it. A written address, street name, map screenshot, co-ordinates etc. are all useful.
Put it in a plastic bag and try not to touch it with your hands. Meteorites aren't dangerous to touch, but sweat and cells from your skin can contaminate it and make certain types of analysis much harder.
Get in touch with a planetary scientist, share the photos, and see what they think!
Please note that whilst we may be able to offer some advice about potential meteorites via email, we are unable to provide meteorite classifications for free. Information on how to register as a customer to access our analytical facilities can be found on the UMN Characterization Facility website.