12 hours ago
How do I know if I found a meteorite?
After a suspected meteor fell in metro Atlanta on Thursday afternoon, meteorite hunters are searching for fragments.
But how do you know if you found a meteorite or just a rock?
The United States Geological Survey has the answer to just that.
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The USGS says they adapted these tips from the University of New Mexico Meteorite Museum.
Density: Meteorites are usually quite heavy for their size, since they contain metallic iron and dense minerals.
Magnetic: Since most meteorites contain metallic iron, a magnet will often stick to them. For 'stony' meteorites, a magnet might not stick, but if you hang the magnet by a string, it will be attracted.
Unusual shape: iron-nickel meteorites are rarely rounded. Instead, they have an irregular shape with unusual pits like finger prints in their surface called 'regmaglypts.'
Fusion crust: stony meteorites typically have a thin crust on their surface where it melted as it passed through the atmosphere.
Meteorites do NOT have the following:
Light-colored crystals: Quartz is a common, light-colored crystal in Earth's crust, but it is not found on other bodies in the solar system.
Bubbles: volcanic rocks or metallic slag on Earth often have bubbles or vesicles in them, but meteorites do not.
Streak: if you scratch a meteorite on an unglazed ceramic surface, it should not leave a streak. A dense rock that leaves a black or red streak probably contains the iron minerals magnetite or hematite, respectively, neither of which are typically found in meteorites.
The scientists at the USGS say they don't verify meteorites.
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Channel 2's Audrey Washington caught up with meteorite hunters in Henry County where they believe they found a fragment on Friday afternoon.
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