Exclusive Photos Of The Recently Found 30-Ton Argentine Meteorite

By Nancy Atkinson - October 13, 2016 at 5:16 PM UTC | Planetary Science
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A gigantic piece of the famous Campo del Cielo meteorite fall that was

found on September 10, 2016

has been un-earthed, and is now on display in Gancedo, Chaco, Argentina. Photographer Pelin Rodriguez shared some images with Universe Today that he took of the newly found behemoth during a recent "Celebration of the Meteorite."

And in a surprise finding during a weigh-in of both the new Gancedo meteorite and another meteorite named el Chaco that what was thought to be the biggest meteorite from the Campo del Cielo site, the Gancedo meteorite may actually be bigger. El Chaco was originally billed as 37 tons, but a recent tip of the scales put el Chaco at only 28 tons. Rodriguez said both meteorites will be weighed again in order to verify the tonnage. If confirmed, that would make the Gancedo meteorite the second largest meteorite chunk in the world after the 66-ton Hoba meteorite discovered in Namibia, Africa.

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A close-up view of the Gancedo meteorite shows colorful details of the 30-ton rock. Credit and copyright: Pelin Rodriguez. [/caption]

Rodriguez said the Gancedo meteorite contains many colors ranging from red, yellow, green, white and different shades of brown.

Scientists estimate about 4,500 years ago, a 600 ton space rock entered Earth's atmosphere and broke apart, sending a shower of metallic meteorites across a 1,350 square km region northwest of Buenos Aires. The region has at least 26 craters, with the largest crater being about 100 meters wide. The AstronoR group said that the Gancedo meteorite was buried only 3 meters deep.

Rodriguez is a member of the

AstronoR astronomy group

in Argentina that held a two-day astronomy outreach event at the Village of Gancedo, located 312 km from Resistencia, the capital city of Chaco.

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The el Chaco meteorite on display. Credit and copyright: Pelin Rodriguez. [/caption]

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The Gancedo meteorite will be on permanent display in the village of Gancedo, Chaco, Argentina. Credit and copyright: Pelin Rodriguez. [/caption]

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Another close-up view of the Gancedo meteorite. Credit and copyright: Pelin Rodriguez. [/caption]

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Another view of the Gancedo meteorite. Credit and copyright: Pelin Rodriguez. [/caption]

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The area where the Campo del Cielo or "field of the sky" meteorites are on display. Credit and copyright: Pelin Rodriguez. [/caption]

Thanks to Pelin Rodriguez for sharing his images with Universe Today. You can see some additional photos and videos from the event on the

AstronoR Facebook page.

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com