Meteorites
Education
One of the most common inquiries the Survey receives is questions related to the identification of meteorites. In Michigan’s recorded geologic history, only 12 meteorites have ever been found and confirmed to have landed on Michigan soil. This makes them extremely rare, and in almost all cases, what many people think to be meteorites are actually common rocks and slag metal which can be found across the state. Many of these findings can be easily self-identified quickly at home before having to call the Survey or other experts which may have no real way to confirm if a sample is a meteorite or not without directly examining it. This video goes over some methods you can use to better understand if a specimen you find may be a meteorite or not.
1883 was the first year meteorites that landed in Michigan began to officially be scientifically analyzed and recorded. Ever since then in the past 140 years, 12 meteorites have been confirmed and collected on Michigan soil. In this video we jump into a brief overview on what meteorites are and where they come from, and a full chronological history of every meteorite discovered in the state.
A 12-part series featuring different locations in Michigan where meteorites have been found.
