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Meteorites

A meteorite is a fragment of rock or iron from outer space, usually a meteoroid or asteroid, which survives passage through the atmosphere as a meteor to impact the surface of the Earth. Almost all Meteorites are believed to originate in the asteroid belt between the planets of Mars and Jupiter and were formed early in the history of the Solar System approximately 4.56 billion years ago.

Since the first meteorites were collected and studied it has been clear that there are three basic types of meteorites. Iron Meteorites which consist of mostly iron with varying amounts of nickel. The second and most abundant group is the Stone Meteorites made up of silicate minerals with a small amount of metal grains. The third group is the Stony-Iron Meteorites which contain roughly half mineral and half nickel iron metal. Most are believed to originate from the asteroid belt but there are also meteorites proven to be from the Moon and Mars.

On very rare occasions large meteoroids will reach the ground with enough velocity and mass to form an impact crater. Associated with impact structures and craters is a type of rock called an Impactite. This glassy rock, also called crater glass, is formed from the melting of native rocks during the impact of asteroids. A second glassy object associated with impact events but much less understood are Tektites. A Tektite is a natural glass object formed by the melting of native rocks during some asteroid impacts. Some tektites receive aerodynamic shapes as the still cooling glass falls back to the surface from very high altitude.

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