Answer:
║Meteorite, any fairly small natural object from interplanetary space—i.e., a meteoroid—that survives its passage through Earth’s atmosphere and lands on the surface. In modern usage the term is broadly applied to similar objects that land on the surface of other comparatively large bodies. For instance, meteorite fragments have been found in samples returned from the Moon, and the robotic rover Opportunity has identified at least one meteorite on the surface of Mars. The largest meteorite that has been identified on Earth was found in 1920 in Namibia and was named the Hoba meteorite. It measures 2.7 meters (9 feet) across, is estimated to weigh nearly 60 tons, and is made of an alloy of iron and nickel. The smallest meteorites, called micrometeorites, range in size from a few hundred micrometers (μm) to as small as about 10 μm and come from the population of tiny particles that fill interplanetary space (see interplanetary dust particle).║
→ Types of meteorites ←
Meteorites traditionally have been divided into three broad categories—stony meteorites (or stones), iron meteorites (irons), and stony iron meteorites (stony irons)—on the basis of the proportions of rock-forming minerals and nickel-iron (also called iron-nickel) metal alloy they contain. Stony meteorites make up about 94 percent of all known meteorites, irons about 5 percent, and stony irons about 1 percent. There is considerable diversity within each category, leading to numerous subdivisions (classes, groups, etc.) based on variations in chemistry, mineralogy, and structure. It is important to realize that meteorite classification is based primarily on observable characteristics. Just because subdivisions belong to the same category, it does not necessarily follow that they all consist of meteorites that have the same or similar parent bodies. Indeed, more often than not, they are unrelated. Conversely, subdivisions from different categories may have a common origin. For instance, if a large asteroid were to melt, its denser metallic components would tend to sink to its center (its core), while its less-dense rocky material would form a mantle around it, much like what happened to Earth. This separation process is known as geochemical differentiation. When the differentiated asteroid is later broken up by collisions, samples of its rocky mantle, iron core, and core-mantle interface might be represented in the three main categories. Thus, the challenge for researchers is to determine which types of meteorites are related and which are not, as well as to identify the processes that were responsible for the tremendous diversity that is seen among them.
→ Examples of meteorites ←
- Ankober meteorite
- Allende meteorite
- Osseo iron meteorite
- Salta (or Imilac) stony iron meteorite
- Tieschitz meteorite
- Johnstown meteorite
