Campo Del Cielo Meteorite, from Argentina (REF:M7)

Type:Iron

Structure:        Octahedrite

Class:Octahedrite

Group:IAB

First Found:Around 1576

Observed Fall:No

Country:Argentina

Fall Date:4,000 - 5,000 years ago

Measurements Approx.
Height - 2.1 cm
Width - 2.8 cm
Length -2.9 cm

Probably our most popular Meteorites, Campo Del Cielo, refers to a group of Iron Meteorites or to the area in which they were found. The natives of the area (known to them as Piguem Nonralta) had known of these iron meteorites for many years when in 1576 the Spanish Governor of a province in Argentina ordered the military to search for this huge mass of iron as he had heard of the natives using this material for their weapons. The Spanish translated the name of the place to Campo Del Cielo which means "Field of Heaven”.

These meteorites created a crater field approximately 3 by 18.5km which consists of at least 26 craters and is located 1000km northwest of Buenos Aires. The age of the craters is estimated at 4-5,000 years and the Meteorites themselves at 4.5 billion years. It is estimated that in excess of 100 metric tonnes of material has been recovered. The largest two fragments found are the 30.8 ton Gancedo and the 28.8 ton El Chaco and these are the heaviest single pieces of meteorite so far found on Earth.