Meteorite recovery
Meteorite recovery is the search for and collection of meteorites after a fall, or of finds in deserts and on ice.
Meteorite recovery means finding and collecting meteorites. After a fireball, teams use camera data, eyewitness reports, weather radar and wind models to predict where fragments may have landed. They then search on foot, often walking in lines a few metres apart across fields or deserts, scanning the ground for dark stones.
In Antarctica, recovery teams travel by snowmobile across blue-ice areas, where meteorites lie exposed on the surface. In hot deserts, hunters search wind-blown plains where dark meteorites contrast with pale sand and rock. Drones with cameras and machine-learning software to spot meteorites in images are being tested.
Good recovery practice includes gaining landowner permission, recording each find's position, handling fresh stones carefully and reporting finds to scientists. Speed matters for fresh falls, because rain and moisture start to change the stones within days. Many important meteorites were found by members of the public who knew what to look for.
Related terms
Level: Explorer Ages 10 and up