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FINDING METEORITES ON EARTH
COLLECTING EXTRATERRESTRIAL VISITORS: The yearly Antarctic Search for Meteorites (ANSMET) expedition finds and collects meteorites for scientific study.
About 40,000 tons of meteoritic material hit Earth each year. Most of it is dust that burns up in the atmosphere, but larger pieces land all over Earth's surface. Scientists study collected meteorites, often by crushing them and placing them in hot water to dissolve certain molecules. The resulting "meteorite tea" is analyzed in the laboratory to identify the meteorite's chemical content. |