Hematite
Hematite is a common iron oxide mineral that is heavy and dark and is often mistaken for a meteorite, but it leaves a red-brown streak.
Hematite is an iron oxide with the formula Fe2O3. It is one of the world's main iron ores and comes in many forms: shiny, silvery-black crystals, rounded kidney-shaped lumps, or soft, earthy red masses. Its name comes from the Greek word for blood, because its powder is red.
Hematite is among the most common meteorwrongs. It is dense, at about 5.3 g/cm³, so it feels heavy for its size, and it can have a dark, metallic surface. The easy giveaway is its streak: rub it on the back of an unglazed tile and it leaves a reddish-brown line. Hematite is usually only weakly attracted to a magnet, unlike magnetite or iron meteorites. Hematite and related iron oxides also form when real meteorites rust on Earth.
Hematite even links to space science. In 2004 NASA's Opportunity rover found small hematite-rich spheres, nicknamed "blueberries", on Mars at Meridiani Planum. They are evidence that water once soaked the rocks there. Opportunity also discovered an iron meteorite, later named Heat Shield Rock. If you test a suspected meteorite, do the streak test on an unimportant corner and ask an adult or landowner before collecting.
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Level: Explorer Ages 10 and up