Falls and finds
Some meteorites are picked up just after people see them land. Most are found years or thousands of years later. This lesson explains both, and where people search.
- Explain the difference between a fall and a find.
- Describe why deserts and Antarctica are good places to find meteorites.
- Tell the story of the Winchcombe meteorite.
Links to: Year 5 science, Earth and space; geography: hot deserts and polar regions; maths: converting grams and kilograms.
Falls
When people see a bright fireball and then pick up the meteorite soon afterwards, scientists call it a fall. Falls are precious because the rock is fresh and has not been changed by rain or soil.
On 28 February 2021 a fireball lit up the sky over England and was filmed by cameras across the country. Scientists used the films to work out where pieces would land. A family in Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, found black fragments on their driveway the next morning. About 0.6 kg was found altogether, and it turned out to be a rare carbon-rich meteorite containing water locked inside its minerals.
Finds
A meteorite that nobody saw fall, but which was picked up later, is called a find. Most meteorites in collections are finds.
Finds are easiest to spot where there are few other rocks and little rain. In hot deserts such as the Sahara, dark meteorites sit on pale sand and stay dry for thousands of years. In Antarctica, moving ice carries meteorites along and leaves them on bare blue ice where a dark stone stands out. Teams camp there every summer and have collected tens of thousands of meteorites.
How meteorites get their names
Every meteorite is named after the place where it fell or was found, usually a town or a natural feature. That is why the meteorite from Winchcombe is called Winchcombe. Desert and Antarctic finds get a place name plus a number, because so many are found in the same area.
Grams and kilograms
The Winchcombe pieces weighed about 0.6 kg altogether. The fragments on the driveway weighed about 300 g, and the largest single stone, found in a sheep field, weighed about 152 g. What was the total mass in grams, and how much did all the other pieces weigh together?
- There are 1,000 g in 1 kg, so multiply by 1,000: 0.6 × 1,000 = 600 g.
- Add the two known amounts: 300 + 152 = 452 g.
- Subtract from the total: 600 − 452 = 148 g.
Answer: About 600 g altogether, so the other pieces weighed about 148 g together.
On a world map, find the Sahara Desert and Antarctica. Colour them in and write one reason beside each why meteorites are easy to find there. Then find Winchcombe in Gloucestershire on a map of the UK.
Quiz
5 questions. Choose an answer to see whether you are right and why. Finish the quiz to complete the lesson.
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Question 1What is a meteorite fall?
A fall is seen arriving, or recorded by cameras, and then recovered, so the rock is fresh.
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Question 2What is a find?
Most meteorites are finds: they landed unseen and were picked up years or thousands of years later.
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Question 3Why is Antarctica a good place to find meteorites?
The ice carries meteorites along and leaves them exposed on bare ice, where a dark rock is easy to see.
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Question 4Where was the Winchcombe meteorite found in 2021?
After cameras across the country filmed the fireball, a family in Winchcombe found the pieces on their driveway the next morning.
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Question 5How many grams are in 0.6 kg?
There are 1,000 g in a kilogram, so 0.6 × 1,000 = 600 g.