Meteor Fragment | Aletai Meteorite

The Aletai meteorite is an iron meteorite associated with the region around Aletai in northwestern China, where numerous fragments were discovered scattered across a wide area. Composed primarily of iron with significant nickel content, it belongs to the group of meteorites formed in the cores of differentiated asteroids, giving it exceptional density and durability. When cut and etched, many pieces display the characteristic Widmanstätten pattern, revealing the slow cooling process that occurred deep in space over millions of years before the parent body broke apart and reached Earth.

In modern study, the Aletai material has become well known due to the sheer number of fragments recovered and their broad distribution, making it a frequent subject of metallurgical and planetary research. Individual pieces appear in institutional study collections and private scientific holdings, where they are analyzed for structure, composition, and formation history. Because of its recognizability and stability, the meteorite is also commonly encountered in the specialist meteoritics market, where documented specimens circulate through established dealers and auctions as tangible samples of early solar system material rather than rare one-off curiosities.

Ancient Artifacts guarantees the Authenticity of items sold through a three layer system of protection: 

1. Ancient Artifacts exclusively sources artifacts from trusted and reputable antique distributors, many of whom have been selling Artifacts for decades.  
2. Next, the Artifact is inspected by an expert team member, who is professionally trained in counterfeit detection After the artifact passes inspection, the Certificate of Authenticity is signed and the Artifact is packaged. 
3. Finally, Ancient Artifacts gives an additional layer of protection by promising a full refund with no questions asked, in the extremely unlikely event that a counterfeit slips through our vetting process.

Your meteorite will look very similar to the one shown in the photos. There will always be some variety, given our items are unique historical pieces. The display case included is openable so that you may easily handle and closely observe the artifact.If for whatever reason you get anything that does not fit this description you are entitled to your money back! 

Fragments of this meteorite were scattered across a wide area of northwestern China after the original mass broke apart and impacted the Earth long before modern records. Exposed at the surface or shallowly buried, many pieces weathered slowly in the dry environment, allowing substantial material to survive until discovery in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Most examples known today come from systematic recovery and field collection rather than chance finds, after which they were consolidated, studied, and authenticated. From there, documented specimens entered the modern meteoritics trade, moving through specialized dealers and auctions where their provenance, composition, and structure are evaluated, making them widely encountered and well understood examples of iron meteorite material rather than isolated or singular finds.