Bendego Meteorite Fragment, from Bendege, Bahia, Brazil (REF:BENMF001)

The main mass of the Bendego meteorite is the biggest iron meteorite ever found on Brazilian soil. It weighs in at 5,360kg (11,820lb) and has been on display at the National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro since 1888. It even survived the fire which destroyed the museum in 2018!

It was found by a boy called Domingos da Motta Botelho in 1784 who grazed cattle on a farm near what is now the town of Monte Santo in Bahia province. At the time of its discovery, it was the second largest meteorite in the world. Examination of the four inch thick layer of oxidisation it was sitting on it is estimated to have been in place for thousands of years, though an accurate dating is not yet possible.

When the news of the boy’s finding of the meteorite spread, the local governor arranged for it to be transported to Salvador. Unfortunately, the huge weight of the meteorite made its transportation by cart extremely difficult and at one point the cart ran out of control until it deposited the meteorite into a dry stream bed just 180 metres from where it was found. It remained there until 1888 when it was rescued and transported to the National Museum.

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