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Table of Contents Enchanted Learning
All About Astronomy
Site Index
Our Solar System Stars Glossary Printables, Worksheets, and Activities
The Sun The Planets The Moon Asteroids Kuiper Belt Comets Meteors Astronomers

Meteoroids, Meteors, and Meteorites
What's the Difference? Meteoroids
Space Debris
Meteors
Falling through the Atmosphere
Meteor Showers Meteorites
On Earth
Quiz

METEORITES



METEORITES FROM MARS

Many meteorites from Mars have landed on Earth, one with a suspected microbial fossil.

CHONDRITIC METEOR

Chondritic meteors are stony meteors with chondrules, tiny glass spheres. These meteors are unchanged since their formation, shortly after the formation of the sun. These meteors consist of elements also common in the Earth's core.
A meteorite is a meteor that has fallen to Earth. At least 100 meteorites hit the Earth every year. Meteorites have survived a fiery fall through the Earth's atmosphere and have lost a lot of mass in that process. Most meteorites burn up in the Earth's atmosphere; all that is left is a bit of dust. Every day, about 3000 tons of meteoroid dust falls to Earth.

There are different types of meteorites:

When meteorites hit the Earth they cause a crater to form. The bigger the meteorite, the bigger the crater.



The Biggest Meteorites

Barringer Crater in Arizona. This impact crater formed roughly 49,000 years when a 300,000 ton meteorite hit the Earth and disintegrated.
The biggest meteorite ever found on Earth is the Hoba meteorite. It weighed over 100 tons. This iron meteorite was found in Namibia, Africa. A lot of it has rusted away since it landed on Earth; it is still in its impact crater in Namibia

The largest meteorite ever found in the United States is Willamette meteorite (named for the city in Oregon where it landed). This iron meteorite weighed fifteen tons and was found in 1902.

Meteorite Web Links
Meteorites from Mars - from NASA




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