You can’t confirm a meteorite at home, but you can often rule one out. Meteorites are rare, and most rocks people suspect turn out to be Earth rocks or industrial leftovers. A few checks tell you whether yours is worth showing to an expert. The U.S. Geological Survey says rocks, including possible meteorites, need to be examined in person for a proper identification.
On this page: signs worth a closer look · signs that rule it out · common lookalikes · what home checks can’t prove · who can confirm it · common questions · checklist.
Signs worth a closer look
The USGS and Arizona State University’s Buseck Center for Meteorite Studies describe the same basic features:
- Heavy for its size. Most meteorites contain metallic iron and dense minerals.
- Attracts a magnet. A magnet will often stick. With a stony meteorite it may not, but a magnet hanging from a string should still be pulled toward it.
- A thin, dark crust. Stony meteorites usually have a fusion crust, a thin layer that melted as the rock passed through the atmosphere. ASU’s quiz describes the outside as black or brown and smooth.
- Solid, with no holes or bubbles. The rock should feel compact, not porous.
- Thumbprint-like pits on iron meteorites. Iron-nickel meteorites are rarely rounded. They have irregular shapes, often with thumbprint-like pits called regmaglypts.
- Metal inside. ASU asks whether the rock is entirely metal, or shows metallic specks on every part of a broken, cut or polished surface. If your rock already has a broken face, look there; don’t cut or grind it to check.
- Small round grains. On such a surface, most stony meteorites also show chondrules, small round grains, according to ASU. Round grains alone prove little: Washington University points out that lots of Earth rocks contain round things too.
A rock that passes all of these checks could still be something else.
Signs that usually rule it out
According to the USGS, meteorites don’t have:
- Light-colored crystals. Quartz is common in Earth’s crust but isn’t found on other bodies in the solar system.
- Bubbles or holes. Volcanic rocks and metal slag often have these gas holes, called vesicles. Meteorites don’t.
- A colored streak. A meteorite rubbed on unglazed ceramic shouldn’t leave a streak. A dense rock that leaves a black streak probably contains magnetite; a red one, hematite. Neither mineral is typical of meteorites.
ASU suggests using the rough ceramic ring on the bottom of a mug for the streak test, and warns not to break the cup. Our mineral streak guide explains how to read the mark and when to leave a specimen untested.
Common lookalikes
Geologists call these rocks “meteorwrongs.” The photo gallery at Washington University in St. Louis shows about two dozen, nearly all without a fusion crust.
| Lookalike | Clues | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Slag | Often magnetic, with bubbles and bits of metal; often no streak | ASU, WashU |
| Magnetite | Dense and magnetic; leaves a gray-black streak | USGS, ASU |
| Hematite | Dense; leaves a red-brown streak; can form odd-shaped concretions | USGS, ASU, WashU |
| Volcanic rock | Bubbles or holes; no fusion crust | USGS, WashU |
| Layered or colorful rock | Stripes, bands or bright colors; no fusion crust | WashU |
| Man-made objects | Geometric shapes and straight edges, or metal that a magnet ignores (one example was a melted drink can) | WashU |
Slag, the waste left over from smelting metal, fools a lot of people. It is often magnetic, it can contain metal, and ASU notes that it turns up almost anywhere because it’s used as fill for roads and railway tracks. Look for bubbles, and remember that slag, like a meteorite, may leave no streak.
What home checks can’t prove
These checks narrow the possibilities, but ASU says that even a rock that passes every question in its quiz can’t be confirmed online. Washington University adds that results from handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzers aren’t enough to show that a stony rock is a meteorite.
Real finds are rare. That page plots 780 commercial lab analyses of rocks people had tested as possible meteorites. Ten were meteorites, and the author notes that about half of those had been bought rather than found.
Photos have the same limit. A clear set of pictures helps someone decide whether your rock is worth seeing in person; our rock photography guide covers light, focus and scale. A photo search such as Google Lens can suggest names to look up, but treat any photo-based answer as a lead.
Who can confirm a meteorite
The USGS doesn’t verify meteorites. ASU’s public meteorite identification program was suspended in 2010, and the center asks people not to send specimens. Both point to the same places to ask:
- your state geological survey (or your country’s geological survey),
- the geology department at a local university or college,
- a natural history museum.
Contact them first and ask how they handle identification requests. If they agree to look, bring the rock, your photos and a note of where and when you found it.
A confirmed meteorite is named after the place where it was found, and the finder doesn’t choose the name. The scientist who classifies it usually proposes one from the finder’s information, especially the latitude and longitude. The Nomenclature Committee of the Meteoritical Society then approves that name or assigns a better one, according to Washington University in St. Louis.
Common questions
Is a magnetic rock a meteorite?
Not necessarily. Most meteorites attract a magnet, but so do magnetite and many kinds of slag. Check the streak, the surface and whether it has bubbles before getting excited.
Can you tell if a rock is a meteorite without cutting it?
You can rule many rocks out without cutting: look at the crust, bubbles, crystals and streak, and test it with a magnet. Confirming a meteorite still needs an expert, so leave cutting and other destructive tests to them.
What does a meteorite look like?
Usually black or brown on the outside, heavy for its size, and solid. Stony meteorites often have a thin fusion crust. Iron meteorites tend to have irregular shapes with thumbprint-like pits.
Write down what you noticed
Before you contact anyone, record:
- where and when you found it, and whether you saw it fall
- its size and weight
- whether a magnet sticks, or only pulls when hung from a string
- the color and texture of the outside, and any crust
- any bubbles, holes, layers or light-colored crystals
- the streak color, if you tested it
- photos of every side, with a ruler for scale
A fictional note might read: “Dark brown, about 4 cm across, found in a plowed field. Heavy for its size; magnet sticks. Smooth crust with no holes. Streak not tested. Possible meteorite; unconfirmed.”
RockLens for iPhone can suggest likely matches from your photos and keep them with your notes. Like any photo-based tool, it can’t confirm a meteorite.