What happens to a meteorite once it hits the surface of the earth?

On Tue, 23 Mar 1999 you wrote:

> What happens to a meteorite once it hits the surface of the earth?

Hello,

What happens to a meteorite after it hits the Earth depends on many
factors. Small meteorites, those about the size of a small boulder or
less, are often slowed down by Earth's atmosphere enough that they land
in a solid piece. This is especially true of iron meteorites, which are
very strong. Other small meteorites, often made of conglomerations of
stone and carbon, are not as strong and can break apart.

Large meteorites are so big and move so fast that the Earth's
atmosphere cannot slow them down very much, and they slam into the
Earth's surface, often forming a crater. In the process, these
meteorites can be shattered into tiny pieces or even totally vaporized.
Around meteor craters, it is possible to find fragments of the original
meteorite, but most of the rocks are just pieces of the Earth broken off
and tossed into the air by the impact.

There is a web site that can tell you a lot about meteorites and their
properties. The web address is:
http://meteorites.lpl.arizona.edu/

Thanks for writing!

Sincerely,
Kurtis Williams

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