Meteorites & Tektites

Meteorites are unusual and rare extraterrestrial rocks that have fallen to Earth. They are the only geological samples that preserve records of the earliest events in the history of our solar system. Minerals such as pyroxene, olivine, nickel and iron are common components of many meteorites. They are divided broadly into three types: stony, stony-iron and iron. The majority of meteorites on Earth come from the asteroid belt, a band of planetary debris orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. Disruptions to the asteroid belt by collisions or gravitational perturbations can send material towards the Earth.

Tektites however are rare impact glasses created when a large meteorite collides with silica-rich soil  The intense heat melts terrestrial rock, which is then ejected into space, partially cooled, and re-enters Earth’s atmosphere at high velocity. The result is a uniquely shaped, aerodynamically smoothed piece of natural glass with no water content.