By Ramon Cortes, Graduate Gemologist (GIA)
The Meteorite is a complete introduction to meteoritics, written for curious readers, collectors and gemmology enthusiasts. The book follows extraterrestrial matter on its long journey, from the formation of the Solar System to the display cases of museums and collectors.
It explains what a meteorite is and how it differs from a meteor or a meteoroid; presents the three great families (stony, iron and stony-iron meteorites); and describes their internal structure, from chondrules and matrix to refractory inclusions, along with the isotopic methods used to date them. Further chapters cover observed falls and famous craters, the recovery of specimens in hot and cold deserts, and what laboratories and space missions learn from these primitive witnesses, including clues to the origin of water and life. The rare Martian and lunar meteorites, the most famous specimens, the workings of the collectors’ market and the ethics of preserving this celestial heritage complete the picture. An epilogue traces the place of falling stones in human culture, from Antiquity to the present day. A glossary, a bibliography and full image credits close the volume.
The book is published freely online, in French, with no advertising.
A note for English-speaking readers. The book itself is written in French. Modern browsers translate its pages on the fly, and the figures, tables and structure remain fully usable in translation. The table of contents below is an accurate, human-checked translation: each entry links to the corresponding chapter in French.
Table of contents
1. An introduction to meteorites
- 1.1 What is a meteorite?
- 1.2 The difference between meteor, meteoroid and meteorite
- 1.3 The origin of meteorites
2. The formation of the Solar System
- 4.1 Common minerals and chemical elements
- 4.2 Chondrules, matrix, metal and refractory inclusions
- 4.3 Isotopes and radiometric dating
- 5.1 Frequency and distribution of falls
- 5.2 Fireballs and luminous events
- 5.3 Impacts and famous craters
- 6.1 Hot deserts and cold deserts
- 6.2 Detection and identification techniques
- 6.3 Genuine and false meteorites
7. The scientific study of meteorites
- 7.1 Cosmochemistry and planetary science
- 7.2 Laboratory analysis and space missions
- 7.3 Insights into the origin of water and life
8. Martian and lunar meteorites
- Iron meteorites
- Stony-iron meteorites (pallasites)
- Stony meteorites (chondrites)
- Tektites (related, but non-meteoritic, materials)
- 11.1 Conservation in museums and private collections
- 11.2 Scientific ethics and the preservation of celestial heritage
Epilogue: The symbolism and culture of meteorites
A human chronology of a celestial phenomenon
Antiquity: the sky as order, the fall as sign
Religious traditions: the sky as language
The Middle Ages: the sky as portent
The modern era: the scientific turn