Meteorites are one of the natural phenomena that arouse the most interest and fear. The impact of several of them could have been recorded or confirmed, thanks to the presence of impact craters, remains of the meteorite itself or by witnesses to the event. Every day many “walk” relatively from the Earthand the vast majority of those that arrive burn upon entering the atmosphere.
Currently it is not possible to specify an exact number of how many meteorites have fallen on Earth, although Recent studies estimate that our home suffers around 17,000 impacts of meteorites per year. On the other hand, it must be taken into account that most do not crash on land, but in the seas and oceans, which cover more than 70% of the planet’s surface.
Next, We will review some of the most spectacular meteorites of which remains are preserved. In some cases we find fragments that weigh several tons, but it is normal that on many occasions they go unnoticed due to their small size or because they are buried.
The colossal and mysterious Hoba meteorite
The first on the list is the largest and heaviest meteorite in the world, the Hoba meteorite. It is located in the vicinity of Grootfontein, and Namibia. It is estimated that it was formed about 300 million years ago, while the impact on our planet is estimated to have occurred 80,000 years ago. It was accidentally discovered in 1920: the owner of these lands noticed something that his tools were hitting something metallic while he was working.
It is composed of 84% iron and about 16% nickel, with some traces of cobalt, and a mass of 66 tons. Surprisingly left no impact crater, probably due to the great deceleration that occurred when entering the Earth’s atmosphere, so the meteorite remained practically intact. The low energy impact with the surface caused hardly any digging in the ground.
The Fukang meteorite, a rare and extremely beautiful specimen
The incredible Fukang meteorite was discovered in the year 2000 in the Gobi desert., near Fukang (China). Originally it weighed over a ton, was identified as a pallasite, a rare type of meteorite composed of metals and silicates. When cut, translucent golden olivine crystals shimmered mixed with the silver reflections of a nickel-iron matrix, forming a crucible of extraordinary beauty. And also… It’s as old as the solar system!
The Fukang meteorite, found in China, 2000. It is a palasite, a type of stony-iron meteorite filled with olivine crystals. It is estimated to be 4.5 billion years old
Credits : Arizona Meteorite Laboratory pic.twitter.com/k2eSyS9Iwo— Amazing Astronomy (@MAstronomers) March 16, 2023
The finding was unexpected: a hiker sat down to rest on a rock, and its strange brightness caught his attention, so he had several samples analyzed. Unfortunately, it has been cut up to pieces and bought by private collectors at auctions. A total of 31 kg of rock are found in the deposit of the University of Arizona.
The Chelyabinsk viral fireball
The first event related to the impact of a meteorite that went viral on social networks thanks to mobile phones. During the morning of February 15, 2013, a meteorite broke into pieces over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk. It was about 20 meters in diameter, traveled at 18.3 km/s, damaged more than 3,000 buildings, and its shock wave lifted some residents off the ground.
The explosion was equivalent to 600,000 tons of TNT U. Some small fragments were found in Lake Chebarkul, leaving an eight meter hole in the ice. According to the analyzes carried out, it was an ordinary chondrite, non-metallic meteorites that have not undergone differentiation processes from the asteroids from which they come.
The Willamette “traveler” meteorite
With a weight of 15.5 tons and eight meters in length, The Willamette meteorite is the largest ever found in the United States. It is also one of the largest in the world, and is composed mainly of iron. It was discovered in 1902 in Oregon, but the impact is believed to have taken place 13,000 years ago.
The Willamette Meteorite, officially named Willamette, is an iron-nickel meteorite found in the U.S. state of Oregon. It weighs 15.5 tons, is the largest meteorite found in North America and the sixth largest in the world
[read more: https://t.co/8eHxYWR7Pg] pic.twitter.com/xgU3hL1ha9
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) March 19, 2023
The Cacklamas Indians revered the meteorite, and surprisingly called it Tomanowos (visitor from the Moon). There is no impact crater, so it is believed that it fell in Canada, being transported by glaciers until it ended up in Oregon. It is currently on display at the American Museum of Natural History.
Campo del Cielo: an incredible meteorite cemetery
About 4000 years ago there was a great meteor shower in the province of Chacoin the north of Argentina. This area today is known as Campo del Cielo. It is believed to have been the result of an asteroid of approximately 840,000 kg exploding in the atmosphere.
Found the Gancedo meteorite, the second largest in the world with a weight of 30 tons https://t.co/J5pdGKxuMR pic.twitter.com/3suHJJ6sRE
— Madrid Planetarium (@PlanetarioMad) September 16, 2016
Until now, the remains of about 300 meteorites have been found, the most famous being “El Chaco” and “Gancedo”., one of the largest ever found on Earth. The second one weighs about 30 tons and was discovered in 2016. They are all made up mainly of iron. The Science and Education Park “Campo del Cielo” is an essential visit.