LEARN ABOUT METEORITES

Information sources

METEOR WRONGS

The I.M.C.A is all about authenticity in meteorites, so what better place to start than learning about "meteor-wrongs." An excellent page is Ken Newton's page on METEOR WRONGS.

The University of Washington Photo Gallery of Meteorwrongs Another gallery of Meteor-wrongs, and more advanced than Ken's.

METEOR WRONGS by Midwest Meteorites.

If you've checked out the above pages and still think you have a meteorite, the Meteorite Identification Page by the American Meteorite Survey will help you decide.

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT METEORITES

Here are some excellent web sites for general information.

One of the primary reference pages recognized by many people is this one: David Weir's Site It's sometimes a bit technical but has some great information.

Another web site of interest is one in Canada. It's by the University of Ottawa. It's somewhat similar to the one by David Weir, but has some additional information.

One of the educational web sites - long established - which has won awards, is the one done by Russell Kempton of the "New England Meteoritical Services." This link is to the NEMS Educational Site. This is is the longest, continuously running site, about meteorites on the web. He also tests meteorites.

For a quick short glossary for those new to meteoritics, Basic Glossary.

Here is a "Glossary" of classification terms. The source is unknown. GLOSSARY

Mark Bostick's site. Lots of information there. There are many articles on meteorites. Also you can sign up for his emails of articles about meteorites in past publications.

Meteorite FAQs is a site put together by Ari Manchez with the help of quite a few people in the Meteorite Community including researchers, dealers, and the former administrator of the IMCA.

the Earth Impact Database has a great list of all the impact craters with maps and pictures.

While we are on the subject of meteorite impacts, here's one on Impact Risks by NASA.

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PLANETARIES - LUNAR AND MARTIAN

Lots of people ask "How do we know that this meteorite is truly from the Moon or Mars". Al Mitterling has recently posted two articles on just that. Here are links to his information on THE MOON and MARS. These are used with special permission from Al Mitterling.

For more specifics on Lunar and Martian meteorites - those that have been formally accepted by the Meteoritical Society's "Nomenclature Committee", here are some links to special pages:

From the Washington University, St. Louis:
The WUStL page on MARS
The WUStL page on THE MOON

From NASA and the JPL:
The NASA page on MARS
Ron Balke's JPL Mars Meteorite Homepage MARS.

Norbert Classen who is a member of the I.M.C.A. also has two excellent pages on planetaries:
The page on MARS gives an up to date reference.
The page on THE MOON is also a good reference.

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BOOKS

We are not telling you that you have to go out and buy these, but here are three excellent references. One of the best things about them is that they are "readable." You don't have to have a degree in meteoritics to understand at least most of them.
This first one is a 'classic' and is well recognized: "Rocks From Space" (2nd edition) by O. Richard Norton. It's available through most all bookstores and also through online stores. The ISBN is 0-87842-373-7

This next one is new, but has been well received: The Art of Collecting Meteorites" by Kevin Kichinka.

The third one is also by Richard Norton. It's the "Cambridge Encyclopedia of Meteorites". The ISBN is 0-521-62143-7.

It's not a book, but a quarterly magazine. The name is METEORITE! published by Joel Schiff. Very highly recommended. Check out METEORITE!. The articles range across the full spectrum for topics and the material ranges from basic to advanced. An excellent source to read to keep current ... and to learn lots about meteorites.

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METEORITE (Specific) REFERENCE BOOKS

The "old classic" reference book is the "Blue Book" published in 1985 by the British Museum. The latest edition, the "Catalogue of Meteorites, 5th Edition" was published in 2000 ... and was well behind in meteorite lists by the time it was in print. However it is a good reference, but a bit "pricy" at about US$150. The ISBN is 0-521-66303-2 and includes a CD-ROM.

A shorter version of this, and more up to date, is "Meteorites from A to Z" 2nd edition, by Michael Jensen, William Jensen, and Anne Black. It just has the basic information, but is a good reference. It's also useful to check to see if meteorites offered for sale have been officially recognized by the Meteoritical Society. If it is not listed, it is either very new, or has not been officially classified and accepted by the Meteoritical Society so in that case, Buyer Beware. The book also includes lists of meteorites by location (country / state) and "falls" in chronological order. These lists can be very useful. The ISBN is 0-9679747-3-9. The Jensens and Anne Black are IMCA members. Contact them for more information. The book is also often offered on eBay.

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The METEORITICAL SOCIETY

The Meteoritical Society is the international network of scientists, and laboratories officially identifying, classifying, naming, and publishing new meteorites. Their main page: The Meteoritical Society. You can apply to be a member - and you will need a reference. It's fairly expensive.

The Meteoritical Society publishes the Meteoritical Bulletin (MetSoc) monthly. It's technical and you need a good knowledge of meteoritics to really read it. Here's an Online Link.

Once a year, all new meteorites accepted by the Meteoritical Society are published in the respective issues of the Meteoritical Bulletin, and in the journal Meteorites & Planetary Science. You can join a mailing list and get occasional updates prior to the June/July "final" publication.

Associated with the Meteoritical Society is the Antarctic Meteorite Newsletter (ANSMET). ANSMET. Antarctic meteorite finds recovered by the US American ANSMET team are published twice a year in the Antarctic Meteorite Newsletter. A great read with lots of photos, and fantastic thin section pictures.

There is also the Antartic Meteorite Research Center (NIPR) . Antarctic meteorite finds recovered by the Japanese NIPR team are published on the website of the Antarctic Meteorite Research Center.

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COMPUTER SOFTWARE

There isn't too much available that has lots of information ... at a low price. One of the best on the market is "MetBase" (Currently up to version 7.1) by Jorn Koblitz. It's expensive (US$700) with annual updates (US$100) but it has LOTS of information and is kept as up to date as possible. Contact him here.

Pierre-Marie Pele has just started releasing a series of CDs on meteorites. The first is AFRICA, the second is EUROPE. He is currently working on one for NORTH AMERICA. Check out Reference CDs. They are inexpensive - ~US$30 each in the US including shipping, and have mostly just basic information on the meteorites. However there are some great photographs of specimens (provided by various collectors) and some interesting maps. In many cases, it could be worth it for these factors alone. Note: Oman, and neighboring nations are considered to be in ASIA and are NOT in the AFRICA CD.

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ARTICLES

These and more are available online at METEORITE TIMES The links are direct to the articles on the METEORITE TIMES web site.

These are by Martin Horejsi, links used with permission: (Meteorite Times, back articles, Accretion_Desk)

You don't have to be really rich to collect meteorites. Many people just collect smaller specimens, sometimes called "micro" or "macro" specimens. These are larger than many of the "crumbs", "specks", etc. found in some online sales, and well-prepared small specimens can be an excellent way to start a collection. Here is an article by Martin Horejsi on "Historic Perspective: The Joy of Micromounts".

Another article - this time about documentation of meteorites. It's important to know where your specimen came from and keep this information ... not just the dealer, but also as much extra information as possible. Here's an article on "Leaving a Paper Trail." Keeping such information can be important if questions arise or if you want to sell the specimen later.

These are by Ron Hartman, links used with permission: (Meteorite Times, back articles, Meteorites_101)

A good introduction to collecting, "An Introduction to Meteorites and Meteorite Collecting"

Just starting and want to know how to organize and care for your collection - here's a great article on "Starting and Maintaining your Collection."

More on meteorites: "A Meteorite by Any Other Name" about naming conventions.

Do you want to do your own collecting? Check out "Collecting Near the Source" If you can't get out "in the field", this article gives some hints about how to find other sources.

Are you confused by all the different classifications is what we call "Ordinary Chondrites?" Then check on "Some Fundamentals of Common Chondrite Classification."

Here's a nice article on meteorite ID and Meteor Crater by Dale Loudermilk.

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Articles by YOU

If YOU have an idea for an article which would be of interest to the members, submit it. We will "review" it and if we agree, we will post it here.

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CURRENT NEWS & LINKS

METEORITE CENTRAL is a web site dedicated to late news, happenings, and other reference information. You can also sign up for the "Meteorite-List" email list.

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METEORITE STORAGE CONTAINERS

The most common types of storage are "Ryker" style black cardboard boxes, "Membrane" boxes, and simple 1" square and 2" square plastic boxes (for the smaller specimens). There are many sources but here are some for each to get you started:

"Ryker" style boxes: Indian River. They also offer inserts for many of their larger boxes. A very useful combination is the 12" x 16" x 1" box with a 35-square (2" square) insert. The 2" square will hold the small membrane boxes, the 2" plastic boxes, or small specimens "loose." In the 8" x 14" x 1.5" box, the insert with 10 "squares" will hold larger specimens and a "business card" label fits well.

"Membrane" boxes: Link via a "Google" search: membrane boxes.

1" and 2" boxes: Mineral Resource Company direct link to their "boxes" pages.

This is not to promote these as the only source, but will at least give you a start and a comparison price.

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"Problem" Meteorites

Many Iron and Stony Iron meteorites tend to rust in almost any level of humidity. In some cases, even the best specimen preparation isn't enough ... and in those cases almost nothing can be done. However there are a couple of possibilities to help retard rust on many specimens.

You may find that you need to use a 'dessicant' with your iron or stony iron meteorites, particularly in a humid climate. Here's a "Google" search for the dessicant: Dessicant

There is something called a "Volatile Corrosion Inhibitor." You can use a "Google" search: VCI.

The use of "krylon" or other spray-on sealer is NOT recommended.

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METEORITE COLLECTIONS

The Monnig Collection at TCU This has a nice, searchable database of their collection.

Natural History Museum in London. Searchable database.

University of Alberta (Canada) searchable database.

It's in PDF format, but here is the Index to the Meteoritical Society Bulletin of accepted meteorites. It lists all the meteorites in alpha order and has basic classification (example: H5) and a reference to the specific MetBull publication. INDEX The print-out is fairly long but not "too bad." It makes a handy print reference. In this INDEX, a number (ex: 85) will refer to the year/volume of the Meteoritical Bulletin that contains more information on the specific meteorite. Met Bull Main Page contains online links to all of these publications.

The Catalogue of Meteorites - Online NHM Catalog. Most meteorites that have been recovered in the past can be found in this great database, provided by the Natural History Museum, London. It's the online version of the famous Catalogue of Meteorites, not as detailed, but as useful for collectors.

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METEORITE CLASSIFICATION

Not the only place to have it done, but this Northern Arizona State University site will give you some basic information.

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METEORITE SOURCES

We don't recommend any specific dealers in meteorites. There are many who are very reputable - and not all of them display the I.M.C.A. logo. If they are on eBay and you are uncertain, check their feedback rating. Although many of the very good dealers are not members of the IMCA or do not use the logo, we do recommend IMCA dealers for meteorites; always look for the IMCA logo or "Member #1234". You can check our membership list. This is very important when shopping on eBay.

Here is a link to a DEALERS LIST but we don't do more here than to provide the link. No other recommendation is intended.

One more link to a list of dealers is the METEORITE EXCHANGE. Again, no more than a link.

One of the best places to meet lots of people interested in meteorites and lots of dealers (and spend money) is the annual "Tucson Gem and Mineral Show" held in February each year. Here's a link to the 2006 show.

There are other smaller shows in many locations. Check the news or post an inquiry on the internet.

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UPDATES

We will add more to this page as we can. If YOU have any suggestions for links to add to the page, please let us know, and as noted above, we also would like to add articles of interest. Send us an email. Please use a title with a reference to the web page ... just in case it gets put into a "spam" folder.