Do You Think You Have a Meteorite?
Ask yourself the following questions about your sample:
- Is the specimen black or brown and rather smooth, with no "holes", on the outside?
- Is the specimen solid and compact?
- Is the specimen heavy compared to a "normal" rock of the same size?
- Is the specimen attracted by a magnet?
- Is the specimen made of metal or does it show metallic iron specks on a broken, cut, or polished surface?
If you answer "yes" to all of the above questions, the object might be a meteorite. If most or all of the answers are "no", the object is most likely not a meteorite.
Another test: Two common meteor"wrongs" are the iron oxide minerals hematite and magnetite. Each mineral leaves a characteristic colored streak when scraped along the unglazed surface of a ceramic tile or coffee mug. Hematite leaves a red-brown streak and magnetite leaves a gray-black streak. Meteorites will not leave a streak unless they are highly weathered. See examples of meteorwrongs by clicking here.
If, after examining your sample for all of the characteristics outlined above, you still believe you may have a meteorite, then you may send it (or a small piece, about 1 inch in diameter) to us with the completed meteorite verification request form, and we will examine it.
Important Specimen Identification Policies
We must see your specimen itself to be able to verify that it is a meteorite. While pictures and descriptions of the entire rock can be helpful, they alone are not enough for us to make a positive verification. Lab results alone from another institution are also not enough for us to verify that you have a meteorite.
We strongly recommend that you obtain delivery confirmation from the carrier you use to send your specimen, as the Center does not have enough personnel to inform you that we received your specimen.
The Center only accepts one specimen per person at a time.
Due to the high volume of specimens the Center receives on a weekly basis, as well as other responsibilities of our small staff, our specimen identification service may take up to 6 months.
Do not bring your specimen to the Center in person. This will not speed identification of your specimen, as the Center does not wish to penalize those who send their samples via the proper procedure. Specimens brought to the Center will simply be entered in the specimen identification queue.
Repeatedly contacting the Center to check on your specimen only slows the identification process, as it keeps us on the phone rather than in the laboratory.
We will not identify specimens purchased from a dealer, commercial vendor, auction house, etc. The goal of the Center’s identification service is to identify new specimens, not confirm claims made by other establishments.
Please read our complete list of policies before sending us your specimen.
Meteorite Classification Procedure
If we classify your specimen as a meteorite, we will call you to discuss what actions should be taken (i.e. classifying it further, submitting a name to the Meteoritical Society for approval if needed, getting it back to you, etc.). In some cases we may estimate its value and make an offer for its purchase. If the specimen is not a meteorite, it will be returned to you automatically with a letter detailing our findings. This service and any testing are free of charge.
If you are fortunate enough to see a meteorite fall and can recover it, do the following: note carefully its location, take photographs of the meteorite and its location, then contact us immediately.
