Top 10 Facts about Meteorites

Post On: March 31, 2020
By: Andi

Do you want to know the facts about meteorites? You would like to find the top 10 facts about meteorites in this article!

Facts 1 : General Fact

Meteorites are a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that derived in outer space and survived its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of planet or moon.

Facts 2 : The Naming of Meteorite

Meteorites are always named for the places they were found, where practical, usually a nearby town or geographic feature. The name designated by the Meteoritical Society is used by scientist, catalogers, and most collectors.

Meteorite

Facts 3 : Fall Phenomena

When entering the earth, the meteoroids are spread. A few meteorites are large enough to create large impact craters. Instead, they typically arrive at the surface at their terminal velocity and, at the most, create a small pit.

Facts 4 : The Types of Meteorites

The majority of meteorites are stony and classed as chondrites and achondrites. Only about 6% of meteorites are iron or a blend of rock and metal and stony-iron meteorites. Modern classification of meteorites is complex.

Facts 5 : The Chemistry of Meteorite

In 2015, NASA scientists found the complex compound in meteorites including uracil, cytosine and thymine.

In January 2018, researchers found that 4.5 billion-year-old meteorites found on the earth contained liquid water along with prebiotic complex organic substances that may be ingredients for life.

Facts 6 : Meteorite Recovery – Falls

Despite the fact that meteorites fall with virtually equal probability everywhere on earth, verified meteorite falls tend to be concentrated in the place with high human population densities such as Europe, Japan, and Northern India.

Meteorite

Facts 7 : Meteorite Recovery – Finds

About 80% of meteorites that found are iron and stony-iron meteorites, that are easily distinguished from local rocks.

Facts 8 : Meteorite Recovery – The Great Plains of the US

In the late 1960s, Roosevelt County, New Mexico in the Great Plains was found to be a particularly good place to find meteorites. In 1967, after the discovery of a few meteorites, a public awareness campaign resulted in the finding of nearly 100 new specimens in the next few years.

Facts 9 : Meteorite Recovery – Antarctica

During 1912-1964, a few meteorites are found in Antarctica. The new nine meteorites were found in Antarctica in 1969 by the 10th Japanese Antarctica Research Expedition. Through this discovery, came the realisation that movement of ice sheets might act to concentrate meteorites in certain areas.

Meteorite

Facts 10 : Meteorite Recovery – Australia

Some of the meteorites are also found in hot desert of Australia. Several dozen meteorites had already been found in the Nullarbor region of Western and South Australia.

Are you happy reading the top 10 facts about meteorites?