I usually get that question when I'm talking about Lunar or Martian meteorites. I tell them "We know it's lunar because we've been there. We can compare what we've found on earth with what was collected on the moon."
For Martian meteorites it's not as simple. I tell them "We're 98% sure it's Martian because we've sent up space probes that have chemically analyzed the Martian atmosphere. These rocks match those chemical isotopes. A terrestrial rock would not match. That seems to silence even the loudest argument. Anita -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Bob King Sent: Monday, April 07, 2008 1:39 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] "How Do You Know It's A Meteorite"? Hi all, I always tell people that a particular found meteorite has the same characteristics and chemical makeup as the hundreds of witnessed falls that have been carefully studied by science. We know those came from outer space. "And this one in my hand matches those." Bob On Mon, Apr 7, 2008 at 11:06 AM, Mark Ford <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> "How do you know it's a meteorite"? > > Something like > > - Because it meets some or all of the criteria that have been established over many decades to indicate it is of meteoritic origin. Such as having a fusion crust, possible presence of Nickel, and chemical or physical structure that places it amongst the other rocks of identical composition (and thus origin). > > > > ______________________________________________ > http://www.meteoritecentral.com > Meteorite-list mailing list > [email protected] > http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list > ______________________________________________ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list [email protected] http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list ______________________________________________ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list [email protected] http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
