Find
A find is a meteorite discovered on the ground without anyone having seen it fall.
Most meteorites in the world's collections are finds. Nobody saw them land; instead, a farmer, a hiker, a scientist or a meteorite hunter came across them, sometimes thousands of years after they arrived.
Finds are important because there are so many of them. Deserts and the ice of Antarctica are especially good places, because dark rocks are easy to spot and the dry or frozen conditions slow down rusting. The biggest meteorite ever found, Hoba in Namibia, was discovered in 1920 by a farmer ploughing a field. It is an iron meteorite of about 60 tonnes and has never been moved from where it lies.
Because finds have been sitting on Earth, they are often weathered. Their crust may be brown or gone, and any metal may be rusty. Scientists can still classify them and even measure how long they have been on Earth. If you think you have made a find, remember that you need the landowner's permission to search, and that in some countries meteorites belong to the state. Keep the rock dry and let an expert examine it.
Related terms
Level: Beginner Ages 7 and up