This provides evidence of their flaming entry through the atmosphere. However, this crust weathers to a rusty brown color after several years of exposure on the Earth's surface and will eventually disappear altogether. The size of a meteorite will vary from microscopic to a very large mass several feet in diameter. Most recovered meteorites measure between 2 inches and 2 feet in diameter. The largest meteorite ever discovered is still in the ground in South Africa because it was too large to move.
Unusual weight is one of their more characteristic features.
Iron meteorites are generally 3.5 times as heavy as ordinary Earth rocks, while stony meteorites are about 1.5 times as heavy. Stony meteorites are not as obvious as the irons because they often resemble a common rock called basalt. They also contain metal as do the iron meteorites but in much smaller amounts which appear as small fragments within the surrounding rocky material. Very often this metal can be seen where a chip of the meteorite has been broken off. Because of their metal content most, but not all, meteorites will be strongly attracted to a magnet.