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What are the three main categories of meteorites?
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Meteorite
The Hoba meteorite, lying where it was discovered in 1920 near Grootfontein, Namibia. The largest meteorite on Earth and an iron meteorite by classification, it consists of a nickel-iron alloy and is estimated to weigh about 60 tons.
Meteorites are traditionally classified into three broad categories based on the proportions of rock-forming minerals and nickel-iron metal they contain. These categories are:1
- Stony meteorites (or stones): These are the most abundant type, making up about 94 percent of all known meteorites. They consist largely of silicate minerals and are further divided into chondrites and achondrites.12
- Iron meteorites (or irons): Comprising about 5 percent of known meteorites, these are composed primarily of nickel-iron metal. They are believed to have originated from the metallic cores of their parent asteroids.13
- Stony iron meteorites (or stony irons): These represent about 1 percent of known meteorites and contain substantial amounts of both rocky silicate material and nickel-iron metal. They are considered an intermediate type between the other two categories.14