![]() ![]() Center for Meteorite Study (Arizona State Univ., Tempe, Arizona).Smithsonian Institute (Washington, D.C.).Bethany Sciences (New Haven Connecticut).New England Meteoritical Society (Mendon, MA).The following are several organizations and individuals, some with their websites, that not only buy and sell meteorites, but also can help identify suspected meteorites: If not sure, conduct other methods of meteorite identification.Ī very effective method for meteorite identification with use of a metal detector (White's XLT) is described in details on my "How To Distinguish a Meteorite from Terrestrial Objects" page. If you chip or grind away a small portion of your find and see the shiny iron/nickel metal or flakes (in stone meteorites), or chondrules (minerals in the shape of small spheres), most likely you have got a meteorite.īut be aware of false meteorites or meteorite look-alikes, especially when you are planning to buy a meteorite for your collection, such as the following: amethyst crystals, basalt, furnace slag, sandstone, fulgurites (glass formed by a lightning strike in sand), lava, obsidian, asphalt, pudding stone, and tektites (they lack a fusion crust, even though often exhibiting regmaglypts). When examining a suspected meteorite, keep in mind that most terrestrial rocks do not have shiny metal and minerals in the shape of small spheres. Such highly oriented specimens are very rare and highly sought by collectors. When a meteorite keeps a fixed orientation towards the surface of the earth, it sometimes melts into a cone or bullet-shaped object. ![]() Orientation is another feature unique to meteorites. You can also distinguish a meteorite from terrestrial objects by its weight (meteorites are dense and will feel heavier than ordinary rocks), "fusion crust" (a thin, hard black outer layer acquired during burning in the atmosphere meteorites appear much darker than ordinary rocks), and surface features (flowlines and "regmaglypts" (thumbprints) formed during melting of meteorite's surface, and angular features such as points and ridges). The simplest way to identify a meteorite in the field is to use a quality magnet since 95% of all meteorites are magnetic and will be attracted to it. (CONTINUED from previous page) Meteorite Identification and Authentication Types of Metal Detecting Activities, page 37: METEORITE HUNTING ![]()
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