Hoba Meteorite is Largest Meteorite on Planet Earth
The largest meteorite on the planet landed in Namibia some 80,000 years ago and is at least 200 million years old and contains elements not found on Earth.
Farmer Jacobus Hermanus Brits was tilling one of his fields behind his ox in 1920 on his farm near Grootfontein in northern Namibia when his plough got stuck on what turned out to be the Hoba Meteorite. When Brits dug around to discover what the plough had become stuck on he discovered the largest known meteorite on Earth. The Hoba Meteorite was excavated but not moved from the spot as it weighs an estimated 60 tons.
Not only is the Hoba Meteorite the largest known meteorite on Earth it is also the largest naturally-occurring piece of iron on the Earth’s surface. Its composition is 82.4% Iron, 16.4% Nickel, .76% Cobalt, .04% Phosphorus and with trace amounts of Copper, Zinc, Carbon, Sulphur, Chromium, Gallium, Germanium and Iridium. It is scientifically classified as nickel-rich ataxite. It also contains traces of minerals that really only exist on earth in meteorites like Triolite.
The Hoba Meteorite is roughly 9 feet 8 inches long, 9 feet 4 inches wide with a depth ranging from 2 feet 5 inches to 3 feet 11 inches.
Image via Wikipedia (Laurie Ventor sitting on the meteor in 1967)
The great mystery surrounding the Hoba Meteorite is that it is not in a crater. How could such a large mass end up on the Earth’s surface without being in a crater? Speculation is that the meteorite entered the Earth’s atmosphere at a very low trajectory and then skipped over the ground like a flat stone skipping over water.
(NASA photo of Hoba Meteorite)
The meteorite is estimated to be between 200 million and 400 million years old and is thought to have landed on Earth some 80,000 years ago. It certainly would have been quite visible and quite a show as it rocketed through the atmosphere to any living creature that may have been around in the area at that time.
Image by Sara&Joachim via Flickr
The Hoba Meteorite was declared a National Monument in 1955 by the then South West Africa government. Despite the designation the meteorite suffered from vandalism over the years until 1985 when the Rossing Uranium company provided funds to the Namibian Government to help prevent vandalism.
In 1987 the farm’s owner donated the meteorite site to the government and a tourist site was opened the same year. Today the largest known meteorite on Earth, The Hoba Meteorite, is visited by thousands of tourists every year.
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22 Responses to “Hoba Meteorite is Largest Meteorite on Planet Earth”
On June 8, 2009 at 8:38 am
very interesting.
On June 8, 2009 at 8:46 am
Another interesting piece.
On June 8, 2009 at 9:05 am
Sorry friend if I miss much of your works, got a bout with flu.. This one is another very educational article with wonderful photos.
On June 8, 2009 at 9:32 am
Here I clicked you “Like it”, well done! It’s such a huge meteorite!They were formed million years ago and contained elements not found on earth! Amazing, amazing!
On June 8, 2009 at 11:52 am
Very interesting! good job!
On June 8, 2009 at 11:53 am
Very interesting article. Wouldn’t want to have been under one of those “skips” when it came down.
On June 8, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Interesting! Funny how a large rock can attract so many tourists.
On June 8, 2009 at 1:46 pm
very kewl!
On June 8, 2009 at 1:55 pm
This sort of thing fascinates me, the photos are unbelievable! Brilliant article yet again Joe.
On June 8, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Fascinating article
On June 8, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Once again, a new piece of knowledge! Interesting article.
On June 8, 2009 at 5:58 pm
I learn something every day.
On June 8, 2009 at 7:35 pm
Great feature and very enjoyable photos too, i live in a small market town in the UK and we have a huge meteor on display in the market place exactly were it landed, its huge and is around 200 years old……..fascinating,
very best wishes,
Aaron
On June 8, 2009 at 8:37 pm
A meteorite struck our area a long time ago. We do have the Moorefield Mine which has various minerals. Thanks for these pictures.
On June 8, 2009 at 8:43 pm
Wow, who would think these things exist right here on our planet, but they do, and they have concentrated levels or different ores. In this case it is Iron.
Lovely article, well put together, interesting photos
On June 8, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Now that is a big rock, imagine it skipping off the Earth
On June 8, 2009 at 11:17 pm
wow, that would be something to see. I would be a little afraid of sitting on it though;)
On June 9, 2009 at 3:49 am
pretty kool. It would be something to see in real life though. nice article.
On June 9, 2009 at 9:08 am
Great post!!..this is really awesome..stunning pics too..I really liked it..thanx for sharing this wonderful work.
On June 11, 2009 at 9:29 pm
Great share, Joe. It’s nice to know about this.
On June 24, 2009 at 8:15 am
great piece
On October 31, 2009 at 6:03 am
How interesting! It is amazing how such a huge thing could have gotten here without leaving a crater!
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