Joe Malan: So you think you've found a meteorite

Joe Malan, Enid News & Eagle, Okla.
·2 min read

Apr. 30—Each and every day, Earth is bombarded by tons of stuff from outer space — some big, some small.

Little chunks of rock that survive the journey through the atmosphere and land on Earth's surface are called meteorites. These can come from a variety of sources: asteroids, meteoroids, comets.

Have you ever gone out searching for a meteorite? It's possible that you've walked by one and you didn't even notice! At first glance, meteorites can look similar to rocks. However, there are some properties that differentiate them from terrestrial objects.

A good resource on what to look for is provided by the Meteorite Museum at the University of New Mexico (meteor ite.unm.edu/meteorites/meteorite-muse um).

One aspect of meteorites that sticks out is thumbprint-like features called regmaglypts. If, however, you see something that has a lot of holes, it's not a meteorite. A common belief is that a meteorite passing through Earth's atmosphere will have a melted look with a bunch of holes, but that's not the case.

Another standout feature of meteorites is they can be very attractive to magnets. A lot of meteorites contain iron and nickel, which a magnet will react to. So, if you go out hunting for meteorites, it might be smart to bring a good magnet in addition to your metal detector.

The Meteoritical Society provides a database of recorded meteorites, which shows the location, when it was found, its mass and other data. One meteorite was found near Hunter in 1962. This particular object was unearthed by a bulldozer performing field work.

Another was discovered west of Lahoma in 1963 by a farmer plowing his field. According to the entry, the object was kept in his front yard for 35 years.

So, yes, while older meteorites can be buried, it is possible to find much newer ones on the surface of the earth. All it takes is maybe a few pieces of equipment and a keen eye. Who knows what you might find?

Joe Malan is astronomy writer and presentation editor for the Enid News & Eagle. Email him at jmalan@enidnews.com.

Have a question about this story? Do you see something we missed? Do you have a story idea for Joe? Send an email to jmalan@enidnews.com.