![]() Metallic iron in rocks from the Earth is very rare. Stone meteorites often have grains of nickel-iron in them. So ‘Solid’ and ‘Not Crystalline’ and ‘Not layered’ are phrases to remember. They will not be layered or banded with different strips of mineral types. Most stone meteorites will not have shiny crystals in them. But it will not have holes inside if it is a meteorite. These are called chondrules and many stone meteorites (the chondrites) will have them. It may have small round structures like tiny balls showing on the broken surface. It will not be porous like lava rocks are. If the rock is broken it will be solid inside. So ‘Heavy for Size’ is the first thing to examine in your suspect rock. But, true meteorites are often much heavier for their size than an Earth rock. These meteorites look like a rock since they are made of mostly mineral material similar to many rocks originating here on Earth. This is by far the largest of the three main types. But for our purpose here let’s work with the three main classes. But, to be honest there are a lot more actual types within the three classes so it can be complicated to make a refined classification. Meteorites come in three different large classes, Stone (Stony), Iron, and Stony-Iron meteorites. But how do we know? A good place to start is with helpful information and meteorite identification tests you can do to help answer your question “Is it a meteorite?”. Some of those rocks are thought to be meteorites. Many people have been to the desert, or river, or perhaps even their own backyard and found a rock that is unusual.
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