CHARACTERISATION AND STUDY OF METEORITE FRAGMENTS

A meteorite is a fragment of rock or metal that has travelled through space and reached Earth after surviving its passage through the atmosphere. They are fragments of asteroids, planets or comets.

Meteorites are also classified according to how they are discovered, into two types: ‘falls’ and ‘finds’. Falls are meteorites whose descent was observed and recorded, meaning they are recovered quickly, which allows them to be preserved in better condition and with less contamination, making them highly valuable to science. In contrast, finds are meteorites discovered some time after their fall, without having been seen at the moment of entry into the atmosphere. Although they account for the majority of finds, they may be more altered by the Earth’s environment and their date of fall is unknown.

The most common meteorites are divided into three main types: chondrites, achondrites and meteorites. Chondrites are the most abundant and the oldest; they contain small spheres called chondrules and represent primitive material from the Solar System. Achondrites originate from differentiated celestial bodies and resemble terrestrial volcanic rocks, indicating that they have undergone geological processes. Metallic meteorites, rich in iron and nickel, are believed to originate from the cores of asteroids. There are also mixed types such as pallasites, which combine metal and olivine crystals, making them visually striking and scientifically valuable.

At TESELA, we have carried out various meteorite characterisation projects for the creation of museum collections.