Sadly, its almost definitely not a meteorite.
Peoplethinkingtheyve found a meteorite is as common as socks, though.
The best spot to hunt for space debris is Antartica.
Other spots meteorite hunters might consider are Californias Mojave desert and Africas Sahara.
Think dark chunks against a light background.
Its still probably not a meteorite.
Here are some characteristics of meteorites and meteor-wrongs to help you identify whether youve gotten extremely lucky.
Density: Meterorites are heavier than other rocks their size.
Iron meteorites are 3.5 times as heavy as a typical Earth rock.
Stony meteorites are about one and half times as heavy.
Magnetism: Most meteorites contain iron-nickel and will attract a magnet.
Many Earthly rocks do too, though.
Meteorites generally do not.
They are irregular shaped, as Earthly forces like erosion havent touched them.
Bubbles or holes:Terrestrial rocks often have bubbles or holes in them.
Radioactive or hot:Meterorites are almost always cool when they hit Earth.
They dont start fires on the ground.
The trip through the atmosphere is quick and doesnt heat up the inside of the rock.
They are also not radioactive, so your Geiger counter is of no use.
Sonowdo I have a meteorite?
If your rock has passed all these tests, it might be a meteoritebut it probably isnt.
Many Earth things can resemble meteorites.
Basically anything could be (and probably has been) mistaken for a meteorite by someone.
Geologists havehad itwith people coming in asking about the weird rock they found.
If you give people money though, they will be happy to tell you havent found a meteor.
The other option is to justtelleveryone you found a meteor.
Unless youre friends with geologists, whos going to know?
