Each year, thousands of meteorites hit earth. Meteorites are parts of asteroids that have broken off or dust from comets. Most are so small that we don’t even see them. Others fall in places that we cannot find them, like in the oceans. A scientist at Washington University in St. Louis has compiled a map of the US showing the number of meteorites found in each state. Click here to see how many have been found in your state. In Arizona, there is a crater named Meteor Crater – it was caused when a meteor hit Earth 20,000 to 30,000 years ago. It is as big as 20 football fields! (Click here for a video.)
As previously stated, most meteorites are very small and do little damage. In modern times, no person has been killed by a meteorite. One of the most significant meteorites to enter earths’ atmosphere in modern times landed in Siberia, Russia in 1908. It destroyed hundreds of square miles of forest.
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