The Largest Meteorites Ever Discovered on Earth
Above: Sitting on the Hoba Meteorite in Namibia
Post Author: Ellis Nolan
Meteorites have fascinated humans since we first started looking up into the night sky. Since then, our ability to track and study them has greatly improved, but the fascination remains. Here is a countdown of the 5 largest meteorites ever found!
Aletai (Armanty) Meteorite - 28,000kg
Above: The intricate display for the Armanty meteorite fragment in China
Discovered in 1898 in Xinjiang, China, the Aletai meteorite is the fifth-largest iron meteorite ever discovered. Most meteorites aren’t discovered in a single piece, and as such, the largest and most well known fragment of the Aletai Meteorite is known as the Armanty Meteorite. The mass of all the largest fragments combined is over 70 tonnes!
Campo Del Cielo (El Chaco) - 28,840kg
Above: The Campo del Cielo fragment "El Chaco"
Approximately 4-5,000 years ago, a massive meteor shower descended upon the province of Chaco in Argentina. The meteorites found in this region are known as the “Campo del Cielo” meteorites, and are some of the largest in the world. This particular fragment, known as “El Chaco,” was the largest Campo Del Cielo fragment discovered until 2016, when the “Gancedo” meteorite was uncovered by geologists.
Campo Del Cielo (Gancedo) - 30,800kg
Above: The Gancedo meteorite fragment
The meteorite that unseated “El Chaco” as the largest Campo del Cielo meteorite, “Gancedo” was named after the Argentinian town it was excavated near. Geologists were also lent equipment from the town that aided them in the excavation, and thus, the name is a tribute to that favor. Fragments of the Campo del Cielo meteorite shower are also available for purchase here at Mini Museum!
Cape York (Ahnighito) - 30,880kg
Above: The Ahnighito meteorite on display at the American Museum of Natural History
Discovered in 1894 in Greenland, the second largest meteorite to be discovered is currently on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. At 31 tonnes, the meteorite fragment is so massive that the pylons holding it up extend into the bedrock of Manhattan.
Hoba - 60,000kg
Above: The Hoba meteorite, the largest meteorite ever discovered on Earth
The largest meteorite ever discovered at over 60 tonnes, the Hoba meteorite was discovered in Namibia in 1920. It originally had a mass of about 64 tonnes, but over the years, vandalism and erosion have worn it down to about 62. In one instance, vandals spent about 3 hours sawing off a chunk of the meteorite as a souvenir. In 2021, it sold at auction for almost $60,000.
If these meteorites aren’t big enough for you, don’t worry, an even bigger one (about 40-90 meters wide) has about a 1% chance of colliding with Earth in 2032.
Want a meteorite souvenir that you won’t have to spend 3 hours sawing for? Check out our authentic meteorite selection for your own science collection here!
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