Campo Del Cielo Meteorite

The Campo del Cielo meteorite is one of the most famous and significant iron Meteorite finds in the world.

Campo del Cielo Meteorite

This Meteor is believed to have impacted Earth around 4000 to 6000 years ago however the Meteorite itself is estimated to be 4.5 billion years old which is when our solar system first formed & before our planet – Earth. Some scientists actually believe that this meteor was originally located within the Asteroid Belt between Jupiter & Mars, as this formed around 4.5 billion years ago which is the estimated age of the meteorite.

These Meteorites were first discovered by the indigenous people of Argentina, they named them 'Campo del Cielo' which translates to 'Field of the Sky', it was later documented by Spanish explorers in the 1500’s.

Campo del Cielo Meteorite Fragments

The Meteor was estimated to be around 600 tons originally, as you can imagine this left a huge debris field around 18km. Campo del Cielo meteorites are primarily composed of iron with smaller amounts of nickel and cobalt too. Because of this they are super heavy & dense, and feel much heavier than ‘normal rocks’. It is actually the second heaviest meteorite ever found.

Found in the Chaco Province in Argentina, which was originally called ‘Valley of the Heavens’ by the indigenous people, believed to be referring to the meteorite impact.