Finding a meteorite in France remains a rare event. In several centuries, less than a hundred falls and finds of meteorites have been recorded on French territory.
It had been 12 years since any meteorite fall had been recorded in France. On February 15, 2023, a Frenchwoman unearthed a piece of the asteroid that had fallen a few days earlier. This fragment of extraterrestrial rock has made a long journey to us: the asteroid, named 2023 CX1, originated in an area of the solar system located between Mars and Jupiter. The object is added to a long list of other meteorites spotted in France, less than a hundred.
The discovery of a meteorite is always an emotional moment for astronomers — if this happens to you, there are a few tips to follow when dealing with a newly discovered meteorite. In France, there is certainly no law that would allow the State to claim ownership of a meteorite. But, as these objects can be very useful to scientists, it is recommended to turn to experts during such a discovery. So you can contact Vigie-Ciela participatory science program of the National Museum of Natural History.
A few dozen meteorites listed in France over the centuries
The majority of meteorites are bits of asteroids. However, asteroids are true vestiges of the formation of the solar system. The analysis of meteorites is therefore very interesting for the scientific community. The objects reaching the surface of our planet are rigorously inventoried and preserved. This is the mission of the Meteoritical Society (MetSoc), an American learned society which lists meteorites around the world.
Its database is also available online. A quick search shows that the MetSoc has recorded the discovery of 90 meteorites in France (the meteorite found on February 15 is not yet listed). Some of these discoveries, however, are controversial: if we reduce the number of meteorites whose name has been approved, we arrive at a total of 77 meteorites. This number is also confirmed by the Natural History Museum of Paris.
This may not seem like much, when you know that up to 50 tons of rocky material from space falls on the surface of the Earth every day. The Paris Museum of Natural History recalls that 5 tons of meteorites with a mass greater than 1 kg fall per year, which represents approximately 5,000 meteorites. But even though Earth is constantly bombarded with extraterrestrial rocks, finding a meteorite takes a lot of time and investment — or a lot of luck.
Moreover, we distinguish between “falls” and “finds”: the first are meteorites collected just after the observation of their fall, the second can be found thousands of years after their arrival on Earth.
In France, 64 falls were observed, as well as 13 finds.
The remarkable meteorites found in France
Among the meteorites listed by the MetSoc in France, here are some of the most remarkable:
- The meteorite the most massive discovered in France is La Caille meteorite. She weighs about 625 kg. It would have been discovered in the 17th century, in the Alpes-Maritimes.
- The oldest meteorite recorded in France (also the oldest recorded fall in Europe) is the Ensisheim meteorite. Weighing 127 kg, she was spotted in 1492 in a wheat field.
- The last fall meteorite observed in France took place in 2011: it was the Draveil meteorite7.5 kg.
If you want to know if meteorites have fallen near you, the Natural History Museum has created an online animation, simply called ” Meteorites of France “. Simply select a region on the map of France to explore where the objects were discovered.
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