Meteorwrong
A meteorwrong is an Earth rock or object that someone mistakes for a meteorite.
Lots of people find an unusual rock and hope it came from space. Most of the time it did not. A rock that looks like a meteorite but is not one is jokingly called a meteorwrong. Museums and meteorite experts see far more meteorwrongs than real meteorites.
Common meteorwrongs include slag, the bubbly waste left over from making metal; hematite and magnetite, heavy iron minerals; dark volcanic rocks such as basalt; and round lumps called concretions, which grow inside sediments. Some of these are heavy or stick to a magnet, which is why they fool people.
Real meteorites usually have a thin, dark skin called fusion crust, feel heavy for their size, often attract a magnet and rarely have holes or bubbles. A broken surface of a common stony meteorite may show tiny shiny metal flecks. A stone from the Sikhote-Alin fall in Russia, for example, is solid metal with thumbprint-like dents. Never break, lick, heat or put acid on a rock to test it. Note where you found it, take photographs, and ask a museum or geology expert to look. Remember to ask the landowner before collecting rocks.
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Level: Beginner Ages 7 and up