SOLAR SYSTEM

Detailed explanation-1: -Unusual shape: iron-nickel meteorites are rarely rounded. Instead, they have an irregular shape with unusual pits like finger prints in their surface called “regmaglypts.” Fusion crust: stony meteorites typically have a thin crust on their surface where it melted as it passed through the atmosphere.

Detailed explanation-2: -In addition, meteorites have some characteristics that can help distinguish them from terrestrial rocks. Those characteristics are density, magnetism, regmaglypts, and fusion crust. Meteorites are usually very dense (heavy for their size) since they contain metallic minerals such as iron.

Detailed explanation-3: -Most meteorites look very much like rocks found on Earth, except meteorites usually have a dark, burned exterior. This exterior is formed as friction from the atmosphere melts the meteorite as it crashes toward Earth.

Detailed explanation-4: -Since material is ejected equally in all directions, regardless of the direction of travel of the meteoroid, the resulting crater is circular. There can be exceptions to this but only if the impact occurs at an extremely shallow angle.

Detailed explanation-5: -Meteorites do not tend to be spherical or circular. There are many processes on the Earth’s surface that form spherical rocks but these processes do not occur where most meteorites originate. Meteorites are also, in general, not rectangular or square and they do not have flat sides.