NEW: Meteorite/Astro blog here
Maps of European, Australian and S American collection specimens.
Photos from the Natural History Museum here and here
There are three main kinds of meteorite, classed by their composition. Stones are mainly composed of stoney material, although they invariably contain some metal in one form or another. Irons are largely composed of iron/nickel alloy. Finally, stony-irons (mesosiderites and pallasites) sit part way between the two.
As well as the structural differences, a meteorite will either be a find (just what it sounds like - spotted, picked up and tested, and subsequently shown to be a meteorite) or a fall - witnessed falling to earth on the last stage of its journey through the solar system.
Falls are particularly important, as the meteoritical material is fresh and hasn't had a chance to weather (degrade) due to being out in the elements. As well as that, in historical times falls were finally accepted as proof that rocks really do fall from the sky (proving that "educated" scientists could only deny for so long what "ordinary" commoners knew was happening from their own experience!).
I became interested in meteorites because of my background in astronomy. I find them to be endlessly varied, often very beautiful; I like the human stories that surround them; and I find it amazing that I can hold in my hand something which may have taken millions of years to reach me from the Moon, Mars or the asteroid belt, and which may contain material which is older than the earth, or even the solar system itself.
Mark
Unless stated, all text and images are © Mark Crawford and may not be used without permission. However, images may be used freely for non-profit purposes as long as they are accredited. Dates, weights and other meteorite information is usually taken from MetBase, unless superseded. Country flags are taken from BizForms. Base map images are from Google Maps. Feel free to drop me a note at this address:
