Famous Meteorites: The Complete List

From icy Antarctic plains to farm fields in the countryside, meteorites turn familiar places into touchpoints with deep time. Each find tells a short chapter about our solar system, and many have moved from field sites into museums and research labs where scientists study their age, composition, and story.

There are 100 Famous Meteorites, ranging from ALH 84001 to Zaoyang. For each entry you’ll find below Year (fall/find), Country, Mass (kg) so you can quickly scan when and where each was recovered and how large the specimen is — all listed for easy reference in the table you’ll find below.

How were the meteorites on this list selected?

The list focuses on specimens that attracted significant scientific interest, historical importance, distinctive composition, or notable size. Selection combines peer-reviewed research mentions, museum holdings, and well-documented discoveries so the entries highlight material that advanced our understanding or became widely cited in the literature.

Can I see these meteorites in person or access their data?

Many of the items are held by museums, universities, or national collections with public displays or online catalogs; others remain in research curation or private hands. Check museum websites or contact collection managers for viewing hours, catalog records, or high-resolution images and citations before planning a visit.

Famous Meteorites

Images and Descriptions

Hoba

The largest known single meteorite on Earth, this ataxite iron was discovered by a farmer. It has never been moved from its find location and is now a national monument, notable for its unusual flat, cuboid shape.

Allende

Considered the “Rosetta Stone” of our solar system, this carbonaceous chondrite contains the oldest known matter. It fell in a massive shower just before the Apollo missions, providing pristine material for study.

Murchison

One of the most studied meteorites, this carbonaceous chondrite is famous for containing over 100 different amino acids, the building blocks of life, providing strong evidence for the cosmic origin of life’s ingredients.

Chelyabinsk

A spectacular superbolide that exploded over Russia, becoming the most well-documented meteorite fall in history due to dashcams. The shockwave injured over 1,500 people, and the main mass was recovered from a lake.

Canyon Diablo

The iron meteorite responsible for creating the famous Meteor Crater in Arizona. Studies of its fragments were crucial in proving that terrestrial craters could be formed by cosmic impacts and it contains microscopic diamonds.

Willamette

The largest meteorite found in the United States, this iron meteorite is sacred to the Clackamas tribe. Its deeply pitted surface was caused by terrestrial weathering and it’s displayed at the American Museum of Natural History.

Sikhote-Alin

A massive iron meteorite that produced a spectacular witnessed fall, creating an impact field with over 100 craters. Individuals are either shrapnel-like “fragmental” or smooth, “regmaglypted” specimens, a collector favorite.

ALH 84001

A Martian meteorite that became world-famous in 1996 when NASA announced it might contain evidence of microscopic fossils. While controversial, it spurred massive interest in astrobiology and the study of Mars.

L’Aigle

This historic fall changed science forever. When over 3,000 stony meteorites rained down on L’Aigle, Jean-Baptiste Biot’s investigation finally convinced scientists that rocks do indeed fall from the sky.

Peekskill

One of the most famous meteorite falls, its fiery descent was captured on video by at least 16 different people. The ordinary chondrite famously struck a 1980 Chevy Malibu, making both meteorite and car collectibles.

Gibeon

A massive iron meteorite that created a vast strewn field. It is prized for its beautiful Widmanstätten pattern, making it a popular choice for jewelry and high-end collectibles. Prehistoric inhabitants used it for tools.

Esquel

Considered one of the most beautiful pallasites, a type of stony-iron meteorite. Slices reveal gem-quality olivine crystals (peridot) suspended in a shiny iron-nickel matrix, making it a favorite for collectors and museums.

Fukang

Often hailed as the world’s most beautiful meteorite, this pallasite displays stunning, large, translucent olivine crystals. When backlit, the crystals glow with an otherworldly green and gold light, making it exceptionally valuable.

Ensisheim

The oldest witnessed meteorite fall in Europe from which material is still preserved. The stony chondrite landed in a wheat field and was seen as a divine omen. The main mass remains displayed in Ensisheim’s town hall.

Cape York

A group of massive iron meteorites used for centuries by the Inuit to make tools. The largest fragment, Ahnighito (31,000 kg), is the heaviest meteorite in any museum, displayed at the American Museum of Natural History.

Orgueil

A scientifically vital carbonaceous chondrite that fell in a shower. It was found to contain organic compounds and water-bearing clay minerals, fueling 19th-century debates about extraterrestrial life and remains heavily studied.

Tagish Lake

A fragile carbonaceous chondrite that fell onto a frozen lake, allowing for pristine, uncontaminated recovery. Its unique composition offers an unaltered glimpse into the early solar system’s chemistry and is stored at the University of Alberta.

NWA 7034

Nicknamed “Black Beauty,” this is a unique Martian meteorite, a breccia containing multiple rock types. It is the only sample of Martian crust we have, with a composition that perfectly matches data from Mars rovers.

Sutter’s Mill

A rare carbonaceous chondrite that fell near the site of the California Gold Rush. Its arrival was tracked by Doppler radar, enabling a rapid recovery that preserved its fragile, primitive chemical composition for study.

Brenham

A famous pallasite found in Kansas, known for producing both large masses of iron and beautiful olivine-rich specimens. The site has yielded meteorites for over a century, including the world’s largest single pallasite mass.

Park Forest

An ordinary chondrite that fell over suburban Chicago, hitting at least six houses and a car. The widely witnessed event allowed for quick recovery, providing scientists with fresh material for study.

Nakhla

The first meteorite suggested to originate from Mars, this is the “N” in the SNC group of Martian meteorites. A famous story claims a fragment killed a dog, making it the only supposed meteorite-related fatality.

Campo del Cielo

From a massive strewn field of iron meteorites created by an impact 4,000-5,000 years ago. Its largest fragment, “Gancedo” (30,800 kg), is the second-largest single meteorite. The site was known to pre-Columbian peoples.

Bacubirito

Mexico’s largest meteorite and one of the largest irons in the world. It is famous for its incredible length of over 4.25 meters, making it the longest known meteorite. It is on display in Culiacán, Sinaloa.

Muonionalusta

An iron meteorite found north of the Arctic Circle, it is possibly the oldest known meteorite on Earth, having impacted over a million years ago. It survived four ice ages and exhibits a classic, beautiful Widmanstätten pattern.

Seymchan

A fascinating meteorite that is both an iron and a pallasite. Some areas are solid metal, while others are packed with beautiful olivine crystals. This unique dual nature makes it highly sought after by collectors.

Imilac

A classic pallasite found in the Atacama Desert. The arid climate preserved its beautiful, angular olivine crystals remarkably well. Slices are highly prized, and it is considered one of the quintessential examples of a pallasite.

Zagami

The single largest Martian meteorite ever found, this shergottite was a witnessed fall. Trapped gas pockets within it perfectly matched the Martian atmosphere as measured by Viking landers, confirming its origin.

Kaidun

One of the most bizarre meteorites, this micro-breccia contains dozens of different rock types. It suggests a sample from a rubble-pile asteroid, possibly Phobos, the moon of Mars, making it scientifically enigmatic.

Old Woman

The largest meteorite ever found in California, discovered in the Old Woman Mountains. This massive iron meteorite is now displayed at the Desert Discovery Center in Barstow after a legal battle for its ownership.

Mundrabilla

One of the largest meteorite finds in the world, discovered on the Nullarbor Plain. It consists of two main iron masses (12.4 and 5 tons) that are notable for their unusually high sulfide inclusions.

Tucson Ring

A unique ring-shaped iron meteorite that was famously used as an anvil by a Tucson blacksmith. Its distinctive shape and history make it a celebrated specimen, now housed at the Smithsonian.

Carancas

A rare event where a stony meteorite (chondrite) was energetic enough to excavate a 13-meter crater. The impact created a spectacle and sickened locals with noxious fumes, making it a subject of intense scientific study.

Jilin

The largest stony meteorite shower ever recorded. The main mass, Jilin No. 1, weighs 1,770 kg and is the largest single stony meteorite in the world. It is displayed in the Jilin City Museum.

Nogata

The oldest meteorite fall in the world where a sample is still preserved. This ordinary chondrite was witnessed falling into a Shinto shrine in Nogata city and has been carefully preserved there for over 1,100 years.

Krasnojarsk

The very first pallasite ever discovered, leading to the definition of the class. Found by Peter Pallas, its strange mix of metal and stone crystals was initially a mystery, but helped establish the field of meteoritics.

Elbogen

A historic iron meteorite, known locally as the “Bewitched Burgrave.” It was from this meteorite that the famous crisscrossing Widmanstätten pattern was first discovered and described by scientists in 1808.

D’Orbigny

An exceptional example of an angrite, a very rare type of basaltic achondrite. It is famous for containing hollow spheres and pockets filled with perfectly formed, gem-like crystals, making it a scientific marvel.

Winona

Found in a stone cist burial in Arizona, this anomalous stony meteorite is the type specimen for the rare winonaite group. Its unique mineralogy suggests a primitive origin on a partially melted asteroid.

Bishunpur

The type specimen for the LL chondrites, a group of ordinary chondrites with low iron and low metal content. This historic fall is a key reference point for classifying a major group of common meteorites.

Adzhi-Bogdo (stone)

A rare example of a “paired” fall, where two different meteorites (one stony, one iron) fell at the same time. This LL5 chondrite landed alongside an IAB iron, providing a unique look at asteroid collisions.

Ivuna

The type specimen for the CI chondrite group, the most primitive meteorites known. Their composition almost perfectly matches the sun’s photosphere, making them a fundamental key to understanding our solar system’s building blocks.

Shergotty

A famous witnessed fall that became the “S” in SNC (Shergottite, Nakhlite, Chassignite), the primary classification for Martian meteorites. Its basaltic composition was a key clue pointing to an origin on Mars.

Chassigny

A very rare type of Martian meteorite, this is the “C” in the SNC classification. Unlike other Martian meteorites, it is an olivine-rich rock (a dunnite), providing a sample of Mars’s deep interior mantle material.

Tissint

A Martian meteorite that fell in a spectacular, widely witnessed event. Because it was recovered quickly from the desert, it is exceptionally fresh and unweathered, providing scientists with a pristine sample of Mars.

NWA 869

One of the most abundant and affordable meteorites on the market. This L-type chondrite is a breccia containing fragments of different meteorite types. Its sheer quantity makes it a staple in collections worldwide.

Henbury

An iron meteorite responsible for creating the Henbury Craters, a cluster of over a dozen small impact structures. The site is a protected reserve and is culturally significant to the Arrernte Aboriginal people.

Millbillillie

A rare eucrite, a type of achondrite believed to originate from the asteroid 4 Vesta. The fall was witnessed by station workers who saw a brilliant fireball. Its distinctive glossy black fusion crust makes it a beautiful piece.

Tamdakht

A witnessed fall in the High Atlas mountains that created a small, 1.1-meter crater. This ordinary H5 chondrite is valuable because the impact was studied, helping researchers model how meteorites break up in the atmosphere.

Calcalong Creek

The first meteorite from the Moon to be found on Earth, though it wasn’t identified as such until 1990. This tiny lunar breccia proved that it was possible for impacts on the Moon to launch rocks to Earth.

Norton County

A rare aubrite achondrite from a large shower. Its main mass, weighing over a ton, is the world’s largest known stony meteorite from a witnessed fall and is a centerpiece at the University of New Mexico.

Abee

The largest known enstatite chondrite (EH4), a rare type of meteorite that formed in an oxygen-poor region of the solar nebula. It’s an impact-melt breccia, providing unique insights into the formation of rocky planets.

Indarch

The type specimen for the EH enstatite chondrites, a rare class known for its exotic minerals formed in oxygen-poor conditions. It fell as a single stone after a brilliant fireball and detonation were observed.

Odessa

The iron meteorite responsible for the Odessa Meteor Crater in Texas, a prominent and well-studied impact site. Thousands of fragments of this coarse octahedrite have been collected from the area over the decades.

Kapoeta

The type specimen for howardites, a breccia of eucrites and diogenites. These are believed to come from the surface of the asteroid 4 Vesta, making Kapoeta a sample of the regolith of another world.

Wold Cottage

An historic witnessed fall that helped sway scientific opinion in England. Its fall was documented by credible witnesses, and a monument was erected at the site. The main mass is at the Natural History Museum in London.

M’Bale

This L5-6 chondrite fell in a large shower, with some fragments famously striking a banana plantation. The event drew worldwide attention, and the meteorite became a source of local pride and commerce.

Claxton

This ordinary chondrite is famous for being the second meteorite to strike a man-made object in the US. It crashed through the mailbox of the Carutha family in Georgia, an event that was well-documented.

Benld

The first documented case of a meteorite striking a car. The small chondrite crashed through the roof of a garage, then the roof of a Pontiac coupe, embedding itself in the seat cushion.

Sylacauga

The only confirmed case in modern history of a meteorite striking a person. A fragment crashed through a roof in Alabama, bounced off a radio, and hit Ann Hodges on her hip, leaving a large bruise.

Valera

A rare example of a meteorite causing a livestock fatality. A farmer heard a loud whistling noise and found one of his cows had been killed by a direct hit from this L5 chondrite.

Acfer 094

A tiny but mighty meteorite, this carbonaceous chondrite contains some of the most primitive, unaltered material ever found. It holds microscopic grains that predate our own sun, giving us direct samples of other stars.

Neuschwanstein

The first meteorite to have its trajectory calculated from multiple photographic records, allowing scientists to pinpoint its landing area. It fell near the famous Neuschwanstein Castle.

Dhofar 007

A rare Rumuruti (R) chondrite, a class defined by its oxygen-rich and metal-poor composition. R chondrites are scientifically valuable because they represent a unique parent body and formation environment in the early solar system.

Gold Basin

An ancient L4 chondrite that fell around 20,000 years ago, creating a large “fossil” strewn field in Arizona. The arid climate preserved thousands of stones which have a distinctive weathered, golden-brown appearance.

Ghubara

An L5 ordinary chondrite known for its striking appearance as a breccia, with dark, angular clasts set in a lighter matrix. Its abundance and aesthetic appeal have made it a popular meteorite for collectors.

Bruderheim

A major witnessed fall that scattered hundreds of L6 chondrite fragments over Alberta. The rapid recovery of so much material made it a cornerstone of meteorite research for decades, especially for studying cosmic ray exposure.

Holbrook

A spectacular summer shower that rained over 16,000 small chondrites onto the Arizona desert. The event produced a dense strewn field, making “Holbrook peas” a classic and accessible collector’s item.

Homestead

A historic and well-documented fall in Iowa. The L5 chondrite broke up violently, creating a large shower of stones. Its recovery and study in the 19th century contributed to the growing science of meteoritics.

Barwell

England’s largest 20th-century meteorite fall. The L5 chondrite fell on Christmas Eve, with locals mistaking the fireball for a crashing plane. The largest piece smashed through a factory roof.

Johnstown

A diogenite, a rare achondrite believed to come from the mantle of the asteroid 4 Vesta. The witnessed fall occurred during a funeral, with stones raining down around the mourners, making for a memorable event.

Cranbourne

A series of large iron meteorites with significant historical importance. The largest mass was controversially sold and shipped to the Natural History Museum in London, sparking debates about national heritage.

Forest Vale

The largest single stony meteorite from a witnessed fall in Australia. This H5 chondrite was seen as a brilliant fireball before a single large stone was recovered. The main mass is at the Field Museum in Chicago.

Kyushu

The largest meteorite ever to have fallen in Japan. The L6 chondrite fell as a single stone after a loud detonation and is now designated as a Natural Monument of Japan.

Jonzac

An observed fall of a eucrite, a type of achondrite from the asteroid 4 Vesta. Its rapid recovery and study by early French scientists helped solidify Vesta’s role as the parent body for the HED meteorite group.

Pultusk

One of the largest meteorite showers in recorded history, an estimated 100,000 individual H5 chondrites rained down after a massive fireball. The sheer number of stones made it a pivotal event for study.

Richardton

A classic H5 ordinary chondrite fall that has been extensively studied for its mineralogy. It serves as a standard reference sample for many types of meteorite analysis, making it scientifically important.

Stannern

A classic eucrite from a witnessed fall. Along with Jonzac, its mineralogy was key in establishing the link between HED meteorites and the asteroid 4 Vesta, making it a cornerstone sample in planetary science.

Tenham

An L6 chondrite that contains high-pressure minerals like ringwoodite. These minerals are evidence of intense shock from a major impact on its parent body, providing a natural laboratory for studying deep-earth physics.

Karoonda

The type specimen for the CK group of carbonaceous chondrites. This witnessed fall provided the first example of this rare, magnetite-rich class of meteorite, expanding our understanding of asteroid diversity.

Lancé

A well-studied CO-type carbonaceous chondrite from a witnessed fall. Its fine-grained texture and small chondrules make it a key sample for understanding agglomeration and alteration in the early solar nebula.

Ornans

The type specimen for the CO (Ornans-type) carbonaceous chondrites. This witnessed fall provided the first example of this group, characterized by their very small chondrules, and remains a benchmark for classification.

Renazzo

The type specimen for the CR (Renazzo-type) carbonaceous chondrites. These meteorites are notable for their large chondrules, high metal content, and hydrated minerals, pointing to water on their parent asteroid.

Vigarano

The type specimen for the CV (Vigarano-type) carbonaceous chondrites, the group to which the famous Allende meteorite belongs. It is characterized by large chondrules and prominent calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs).

Sayh al Uhaymir 169

A rare lunar meteorite which is a sample of the Moon’s ancient, heavily cratered highlands. It provides a window into the early history of the Earth-Moon system from a time of heavy bombardment.

El Hammami

A large H5 chondrite find that is widely distributed and popular among collectors. It is known for its distinct, dark shock veins and visible metal flakes set against a light gray matrix.

NWA 801

A CR2 carbonaceous chondrite that shows clear evidence of alteration by water on its parent body. It contains hydrated minerals that are key to studying water’s history and distribution in the solar system.

Toluca

A classic coarse octahedrite iron meteorite known and used by native inhabitants for centuries before being found by conquistadors. The strewn field has produced tons of material, making it a staple in collections.

Brahin

A classic main-group pallasite that has produced large, stable masses with beautiful olivine crystals. It was one of the first pallasites to be widely studied and distributed among European collections.

Huckitta

A rare stony-iron meteorite that is a “pallasite anomalous.” Unlike typical pallasites, its olivine crystals have been almost completely altered to other minerals by intense shock and heat from an impact.

Nantan

An iron meteorite from a witnessed fall in 1516, though the fragments were not rediscovered until 1958. The event was recorded in historical documents. The weathered, shrapnel-like pieces are popular with collectors.

Tatahouine

A rare diogenite that shattered into thousands of tiny fragments upon impact. It is famous as the filming location of “Tatooine” in Star Wars and for containing nanostructures once thought to be fossilized bacteria.

Tulia

An H-type chondrite that is heavily brecciated and contains clasts of carbonaceous chondrite material. This “xenolithic” nature suggests a collision between two very different types of asteroids, making it scientifically valuable.

Vaca Muerta

A classic mesosiderite, a stony-iron meteorite that is an impact-generated mix of crustal rock and core metal. The Vaca Muerta (“Dead Cow”) strewn field in the Atacama Desert has produced tons of material.

Estherville

A spectacular meteorite shower in Iowa, witnessed by hundreds. It is a mesosiderite, and its fall was so violent that it was described as a “frightful battle in the heavens.”

Gao-Guenie

A large witnessed fall of an H5 chondrite that produced thousands of individual stones. Its abundance and affordability have made it one of the most common meteorites in private collections.

Juancheng

A major witnessed H5 chondrite fall. The largest stone from the shower, weighing 2.7 kg, famously crashed through the tiled roof of a house, an event that was widely publicized in China and abroad.

Portales Valley

A unique meteorite that blurs the line between stony and iron types. It is an H6 chondrite riddled with thick veins of metal, appearing like a breccia of stone and iron. Its unusual composition challenges classifications.

Saratov

A large witnessed fall of an L4 ordinary chondrite. The main mass was recovered from a field and has been extensively studied, making it a well-known reference sample for L-type chondrites from the early 20th century.

Zaoyang

A witnessed fall of an IAB iron meteorite, which is very rare. Most iron meteorites are finds, so having a freshly fallen iron with an intact fusion crust provided a valuable opportunity for scientific study.