I found a meteorite !!! (No, you probably did not, sorry)

The very FIRST thing you should do is go to this website.

It shows examples of METEOR-WRONGS that have been sent in for analysis by people that were POSITIVE that they found a meteorite. Your chance of finding a real meteorite is very, very low, sorry. Also, the chance that the potential meteorite that you have found is from Mars or the Moon is even lower, but it is possible. VERY REMOTELY Possible, as NO meteorite from the Moon has ever been found in North America or Europe. Still think you have a meteorite? Go to this website to find out why it would be easier for you to win the lottery than find a meteorite in the United States.

If you are still convinced that you have a meteorite after reading the websites mentioned above, it MUST be analyzed by a competent lab. Check with a University in your area to see if they offer this service. A geologist does not count. Geologists are not generally experts in identifying meteorites.

Do not send the specimen to me as I would just have to send it away myself (which I will NOT do). Do not email me a photo as a meteorite can not be positively identified from a photo. Do not call me to discuss it as I can not identify it on the telephone either.

Keep in mind that many people are "positive" that they have found a meteorite. Perhaps they even think that they saw it fall and found it the next day. Perhaps Grandpa told them that it fell and burned down the barn (meteorites are not HOT when they fall in spite of what you see in the movies). Perhaps you found a "strange" rock where no other rocks like it exist (happens all the time but it does not mean that "strange" rock is a meteorite).

Less than 1% of specimens that are analyzed at University Labs by the general public turn out to be meteorites.

Here is a list of known labs which may be capable of testing your suspected meteorite:

The American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West at 79th St.
New York, NY, 10024

Center for Meteorite Studies
Arizona State University
Tempe, Arizona, 85281

The Field Museum of Natural History
S. Lake Shore Dr.
Chicago, IL. 60605

Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences
University of California
Los Angeles, Calif. 90024

Institute of Meteoritics
Department of Geology
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131

Lunar and Planetary Laboratory
Space Sciences Building
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ 85721

National Museum of Natural History
Dept. of Mineral Sciences
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC 20560

Good Luck with your potential meteorite find !!!