What are Meteorites?

Are you looking for an easy way to teach your child about rocks and minerals? We’ve put together a set of free materials that parents and teachers can use right away.

In this lesson, your child will dive into the fascinating world of meteorites. We’ll explore the journey of celestial fragments to Earth. Explore science in a more engaging way with captivating 3D videos and interactive quizzes. Download our app to get started!

What you will learn from this lesson

How Do Meteorites Form?

Fragments created when celestial bodies collide or explode are known as meteoroids. As these meteoroids travel very fast and enter Earth’s atmosphere, the friction causes the air in front of them to heat up. This process results in a streak of light in the sky, which we call a meteor. Some meteors burn up completely as they pass through the atmosphere.

A meteoroid that manages to land on Earth’s surface without being destroyed is then called a meteorite. When meteoroids hit the ground at high speeds, the intense heat can melt smaller meteorites upon impact. In craters where a meteorite is not found, the heat from the collision can melt the soil, which then cools to form new impact rocks like glasslike tektites. Every meteorite is a unique and precious gift from space, allowing us to learn much about the universe.

What are the Types of Meteorites?

Meteorites can be classified into different types. We can often use a magnet to help identify them. The three primary types are iron meteorites, stony meteorites, and stony iron meteorites.

• Iron Meteorites: These meteorites are attracted to a magnet because they are mainly composed of iron and nickel elements. They are thought to be fragments from planetary cores that cooled down over millions of years. After special processing, the metallic minerals taenite and kamacite can reveal beautiful patterns.
• Stony Meteorites: Most meteorites found on Earth are stony meteorites. They are usually fragments produced by impacts on asteroids. A small number also comes from the Moon or Mars. Since they have less iron, they are not attracted to magnets.
• Stony Iron Meteorites: This type contains both iron-nickel metal and minerals, such as olivine, kamacite, and taenite. They are quite rare and precious, but they will stick to a magnet with a weaker force than an iron meteorite. Stony iron meteorites, such as pallasites, represent fragments from the boundary between an asteroid’s core and mantle and show stunning patterns when sliced.

Fun Fact

• Some iron meteorites are believed to be fragments from the cores of other planets that cooled over millions of years.
• When a meteoroid strikes Earth at high speed, the intense heat created can actually melt smaller meteorites.
• The iron and nickel within a planetary core took tens of millions of years to crystallize and form the patterns seen in iron meteorites.

Vocabulary

• Meteoroid: Fragments from celestial bodies.
• Meteor: A streak of light in the sky that results when fast-moving meteoroids enter the atmosphere, and the air heats up due to friction.
• Meteorite: Meteoroids that have successfully landed on the surface of the Earth.
• Iron Meteorite: A type of meteorite that is shiny, heavy, and strongly attracted to a magnet.
• Stony Meteorite: A type of meteorite with less iron that is not attracted to magnets, making up the majority of those found on Earth.
• Stony Iron Meteorite: A rare and precious type of meteorite that contains both iron-nickel metal and minerals.