Tucson Meteorites & Meteorwrongs

Field notes

The guide organizes identification as a sequence of increasingly discriminating checks rather than treating magnetism as proof. It distinguishes common Tucson lookalikes by their tile streaks and texture, then reserves a small filed “window” for stones that remain promising. The page also warns against cleaning or cutting a candidate before examination, since those actions can reduce its scientific and market value. Its local framing connects amateur rock hunting with Tucson’s mining, railroad, desert, and meteorite history.