Free Meteorite Identifier by Photo —
Is This a Real Meteorite?

How to Identify Meteorites — What the AI Looks For

When you upload a photo to our free meteorite identifier, the AI examines the same visual features a meteoriticist would check first. Understanding these features helps you take better photos and interpret your results.

Fusion Crust

When a meteoroid enters Earth’s atmosphere at high speed, frictional heating melts the outer surface, creating a thin dark fusion crust — typically black or dark brown, sometimes with a glassy sheen. Fresh falls have intact crust; weathered finds may have lost it entirely. A smooth, uniform dark outer layer on an irregular stone is one of the strongest visual clues — but terrestrial rocks can also be dark, so crust alone is not proof.

Regmaglypts (Thumbprint Depressions)

Regmaglypts are smooth, thumbprint-like depressions on the surface caused by uneven ablation during atmospheric entry. They are characteristic of many stony and iron meteorites and are rarely seen on ordinary terrestrial rocks. Visible regmaglypts in a clear photo significantly strengthen a meteorite case.

Density and Heft

Meteorites are typically denser than ordinary rocks of the same size. Iron meteorites feel noticeably heavy — like holding a chunk of steel. Stony meteorites feel moderately heavy. Slag and vesicular volcanic rocks are often lighter than they look. Mention “heavy for size” in your notes if you notice this.

Magnetism

Most meteorites contain iron-nickel metal and are magnetic to some degree. Iron meteorites stick strongly to a magnet. Stony meteorites (chondrites) are usually weakly to moderately magnetic. However, many terrestrial rocks — magnetite, hematite, basalt — are also magnetic. Magnetism alone proves nothing, but combined with other features it is informative.

Meteorite vs Meteorwrong — Common Look-Alikes

The vast majority of rocks submitted as suspected meteorites are terrestrial. Here are the most common meteorwrongs:

Industrial Slag

The number one meteorwrong. Slag is waste from metal smelting and industrial processes. It often has vesicles (gas bubbles), a glassy or rough texture, and may be magnetic. It comes in many colours — black, green, blue, brown. Slag is never a meteorite, regardless of how unusual it looks.

Magnetite and Hematite

Iron oxide minerals that are strongly magnetic and dense. Magnetite is black and metallic; hematite is red-brown to black. Both are common in nature and frequently mistaken for iron meteorites. Use our mineral identifier if you suspect an iron ore rather than a meteorite.

Basalt and Volcanic Rocks

Dark, fine-grained volcanic rocks can resemble stony meteorites, especially when weathered. Basalt often has vesicles and a dull texture. It is lighter than meteorites of the same size and lacks fusion crust and chondrules.

River Cobbles and Tumbled Rocks

Smooth, rounded stones from rivers and beaches are almost never meteorites. Meteorites have irregular shapes from atmospheric ablation — not the rounded form produced by water erosion over time.

Home Tests You Can Do Before Uploading

These simple tests help you add useful information in the notes field:

The Magnet Test

Hold a strong neodymium magnet against the specimen. Iron meteorites stick firmly. Stony chondrites are usually weakly to moderately attracted. If nothing happens, it is less likely to be a meteorite — but some achondrites are non-magnetic.

The Density Test

Hold the specimen in your hand. Does it feel unusually heavy for its size? Iron meteorites feel like holding a piece of steel. Slag and vesicular rocks often feel light. This subjective test is useful context for the AI.

The Scratch Test

Try scratching the specimen with a steel knife or nail. Iron meteorites are very hard and resist scratching. Stony meteorites vary. Soft, crumbly specimens are unlikely to be meteorites.

The Interior Check

If you can safely expose a fresh surface (chip or cut), look for chondrules — tiny round grains in stony meteorites — or a metallic iron-nickel interior in iron meteorites. A plain grey or coloured rock interior with no distinctive features is less promising.

What to Do If You Think You Found a Meteorite

• Do not clean or polish it — fusion crust and surface features are diagnostic and easily destroyed.
• Photograph it — outside, interior if possible, and with a scale reference.
• Test magnetism — note whether it sticks strongly, weakly, or not at all.
• Upload to our identifier — get an honest AI screening assessment in seconds.
• Contact a professional — university geology departments, the Meteoritical Society, or reputable meteorite dealers can arrange proper laboratory analysis.
• Record the find location — if genuinely meteoritic, provenance significantly affects scientific and collector value.

Fresh Falls vs Weathered Finds

A fresh fall is a meteorite witnessed falling to Earth — often with a black fusion crust intact and sometimes associated with a fireball sighting. A find is a meteorite discovered on the ground without a witnessed fall. Finds may be heavily weathered, rusted (especially iron meteorites), or lacking fusion crust. Both can be genuine meteorites, but fresh falls are easier to assess from photos.

Using Our Other Identifier Tools

If our meteorite identifier suggests your specimen is a terrestrial rock or mineral, try our other tools: rock identifier for general rocks, mineral identifier for individual minerals, and gold identifier if you suspect native gold rather than an iron meteorite.