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Most people probably think that a meteorite is a piece of rock from space that has landed on Earth.
While there is much truth in this - the reality is FAR more interesting!
There are many different types of meteorite that have been found on Earth.
To simplify this I will focus on the three main types that are found.
Stony Meteorites
This is the most common type of meteorite found. Roughly 95% of all meteorites found on Earth are stony meteorites.
Most stone meteorites originate in the Asteroid belt. This is a huge swathe of space -rich in stone meteorites. It exists in the space between Mars and Jupiter.
If this rock wasn't so near Jupiter it may well have formed into a planet.
BUT - The huge gravitational forces exerted by Jupiter have meant that these rocks keep getting pushed out of the asteroid belt and are sent out across our Solar System -( and some ending up on Earth...)
Iron Meteorites
Iron meteorites are more rare than stone meteorites and account for roughly 1 or 2% of the meteorites found on Earth.
Stony Iron Meteorites