Some are readily identifiable with types of asteroids -- metallic, stony, and carbonaceous. However, the commonest type of meteorite,the chondrites (which are a stony material), do not appear to have a parent body in the asteroid belt (maybe this type of material is specific to Earth-approaching asteroids?)
Stony-iron meteorite:
Meteorite with reflectance properties of Vesta:
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Carbonaceous chondrite. These meteorites are the oldest known objects in the Solar System and are likely to be examples of the solid material from which the Solar System formed. They contain a number of organic compounds including amino acids which are one of the key building blocks for life. Their spectra are similar to those of carbonaceous asteroids. (From New England Meteoritical Services, http://www.meteorlab.com/METEORLAB2001dev/carbchon.htm) |
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The meteorite from Mars thought a few years ago to have fossilized life forms. The association with Mars is based on finding gases that match the composition of the Martian atmosphere trapped in pores in the stone |