Meteorites are fragments of asteroids or comets that have fallen to Earth after partially burning up in the atmosphere. These space rocks provide humans with valuable information about the past of the Solar System and the universe. Throughout history, many large meteorites have been discovered, some of which are enormous in size and mass. Below is a list of the largest meteorites ever found, playing an important role in research on the origin and formation of the Solar System.
1. Hoba Meteorite
Hoba is the largest meteorite ever discovered on Earth, weighing about 60 tons. It was found in 1920 on a farm in Namibia, Africa. The Hoba meteorite is composed mainly of iron and nickeland due to its enormous mass, it did not create a crater when it fell. This is the largest intact meteorite on our planet and is still located at the location where it was discovered, attracting many scientists and tourists to visit.
The Hoba meteorite is estimated to have fallen to Earth about 80,000 years ago. With its large size and metallic composition, this meteorite has contributed to the study of the structure and formation of asteroids in the Solar System.
2. Cape York Meteor
Cape York is a group of meteorites discovered in Greenland, with one of them, the Ahnighito meteorite, weighing 31 tons. This group of meteorites fell to Earth about 10,000 years ago and was discovered by explorers in the 19th century. The Cape York meteorite is also composed mainly of iron and nickel, like Hoba.
The Ahnighito meteorite, one of the largest pieces of Cape York, is currently on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where it has attracted the attention of scientists and the public. These meteorites were also used by indigenous Inuit people to make iron tools before being discovered by Europeans.
3. El Chaco Meteor
El Chaco is the second largest meteorite in the Campo del Cielo meteorite group, found in Argentina. It weighs about 37 tons and is composed mainly of iron and nickel. Campo del Cielo is a group of meteorites that collided with Earth about 4,000-5,000 years ago and created a large impact crater.
This group of meteorites has been known since ancient times, but it was not until the 16th century that it was studied by Spanish explorers. The El Chaco meteorite is currently the second largest intact meteorite on Earth and is one of the important specimens in the study of asteroid and comet formation.
4. Gibeon Meteorite
Gibeon is another large iron meteorite discovered in Namibia, the same country as the Hoba meteorite. Gibeon is large in size and is found scattered over a large area, with a total mass of up to tens of tons. The Gibeon meteorite fragments are about 30,000 years old and were used by indigenous people to make tools from very early times.
Gibeon is characterized by its composition of iron and nickel, with a unique crystal structure called Widmanstatten modeldemonstrating the slow crystallization of metals in space. Many pieces of the Gibeon meteorite are currently on display in museums and attracting interest from scientists and astronomy enthusiasts.
5. Willamette Meteor
Williamette is the largest meteorite ever found in the United States, weighing approximately 15.5 tons. It was discovered in Oregon in 1902 and is composed mainly of iron and nickel. The Willamette meteorite did not make an impact crater and is believed to have been pushed from the initial impact site to the find location by ice movement during the ice age.
This meteorite is currently on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where it has become an icon in the field of astronomy. The indigenous people of Clackamas worshiped the Willamette meteorite as a sacred object, and it still plays an important role in local culture.
Comets and meteorites
The largest meteorites ever discovered on Earth are not only giant space rocks but also give us a lot of valuable knowledge about the history of the Solar System. These meteorite samples have been and are being studied to learn more about the formation of planets, the interaction between Earth and other celestial bodies, as well as the role of meteorites in the evolution of the System. Sun. In the future, new meteorites will likely continue to be discovered, expanding our understanding of the vast universe.
