Eli5 What happens to meteorites that leave craters?

Question

Whenever you see pictures of craters left behind by a meteor, all you can see is a big empty hole, but what happens to the meteor?

In: 1

Answer 1

The meteor generally gets pulverized into little pieces by the force of the impact. This forms a layer of what are called “impact rocks,” which are new rocks made out of the broken pieces of the meteor (and the broken pieces of whatever rock the meteor hit)