The largest meteorite on Earth is the Hoba meteorite, located in Namibia. Discovered in 1920 by a farmer plowing a field, the Hoba meteorite is an iron meteorite and is considered the largest single-piece meteorite known. It measures about 2.7 meters (8.8 feet) long, 2.7 meters wide, and 0.9 meters thick, with an estimated weight of around 60 tons. What makes the Hoba meteorite particularly remarkable is that it has never been moved from the spot where it fell, making it a unique and easily accessible natural monument.
The Hoba meteorite is composed mostly of iron (about 84%) and nickel (about 16%), with trace amounts of cobalt. It is believed to have fallen to Earth approximately 80,000 years ago, making it a relatively recent cosmic visitor in geological terms. Due to its massive size and high iron content, the Hoba meteorite stands out among the thousands of meteorites that have been discovered on Earth.
Scientists and researchers have studied the Hoba meteorite to gain insights into the composition of meteorites and the conditions in space. It provides a valuable opportunity to examine the characteristics of an iron meteorite in its natural state, without the need for extensive excavation or extraction. Additionally, the Hoba meteorite has become a popular tourist attraction, drawing visitors interested in astronomy and geology to the remote region in Namibia where it resides.
While the Hoba meteorite is the largest single-piece meteorite, it's important to note that there are larger meteorite impact sites on Earth, where fragments from an original meteoroid are scattered over a larger area. One notable example is the Sikhote-Alin meteorite in Russia, which fell in 1947 and produced a shower of fragments over a wide region.
