Number of officially classified meteorites (as of September 2021).

Percentage of meteorites of the so-called ordinary chondrite group.

They take their name from their abundance relative to other groups of meteorites. By comparison, iron meteorites only represent  2%.

Millions of years.

Age of the meteorite impact that marked the end of the Cretaceous era and  which was probably one of the disasters leading to the extinction of dinosaurs. The Chicxulub crater is in Mexico.

Tons.

Weight of the largest meteorite found on Earth. This is the metallic Hoba meteorite, found in Namibia in 1920.

Percentage of meteorites observed to fall. As such, 98% of meteorites are finds, which may have been on Earth for several years to several thousand years.

Billions of years. Age of the oldest solids found in chondrites. They allow us to date the solar system formation.

Number of identified meteorite impact craters on the Earth's surface. The largest,  Vredefort (South America), has a diameter of 160 km and is 2 billion years old. 

Percentage of meteorites found in the hot North African and cold Antarctic deserts. The appearance of meteorites, the absence of life and the annual organization of expeditions make it easier to find meteorites in these deserts.

Year of the first European fall from which the sample was collected. This is the Ensisheim meteorite (Alsace).

Number of meteorites from the Moon. Martian meteorites are 330.

(April 2022)

Number of meteorites discovered on other planetary bodies. These are the Bench Crater and Hadley Rille meteorites, discovered on the Moon during the Apollo 12 and Apollo 15 missions. Meridiari Planum was discovered on Mars by the Opportunity rover.

Kilometers.  

Diameter of the Meteor Crater, discovered in 1891 in Arizona, and caused by the fall of the Canyon Diablo iron meteorite.