As they enter the atmosphere and begin to disintegrate, meteors are seen as streaks of light called shooting or falling stars. The few meteors that do reach the Earth's surface are called meteorites. Identifying meteorites in Kansas is easier than in other places, because they don't look like other Kansas rocks. Meteorites usually have a burned appearance, are pitted, and are denser than other rocks. Iron meteorites, consisting of heavy metals, iron, and nickel, are the easiest to identify.
Stony meteorites are harder to identify because they look like volcanic rocks.
Because Kansas has few volcanic rocks and lots of wide-open spaces, many meteorites have been found in the state.