#950 Campo del Cielo Meteorite 520g
Campo del Cielo Meteorite
IAB Iron Meteorite • Argentina • ~4,000-6,000 years ago
About This Specimen
This fragment represents one of the most significant meteorite discoveries in South America. The Campo del Cielo meteorite fell in what is now northern Argentina thousands of years ago, creating a strewn field that spans over 60 kilometers across the Gran Chaco region.
Discovery and History
The Campo del Cielo ("Field of Heaven") meteorites were known to indigenous peoples long before European arrival. Spanish explorers first documented the massive iron masses in 1576, when they encountered what locals called "Mesón de Fierro" (Table of Iron). The meteorites were so large that early settlers used them as a source of iron for tools and weapons.
Scientific study began in earnest in the 20th century, leading to the recovery of numerous specimens ranging from small fragments to massive individuals weighing several tons. The largest recovered specimen, known as "Gancedo," weighs over 30 tons, making it one of the heaviest meteorites ever found.
Scientific Classification
Type: IAB Complex Iron Meteorite
Composition: Iron-nickel alloy (approximately 93% iron, 6.7% nickel)
Structure: Coarse octahedrite with distinctive Widmanstätten patterns
Age: 4.56 billion years (formation), impact ~4,000-6,000 years ago
Formation and Journey
This meteorite originated in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, where it was part of a larger parent body that underwent differentiation—a process where heavy metals sank to form a metallic core. Cosmic collisions eventually broke apart this parent asteroid, sending fragments like this one on a journey through space that lasted millions of years before entering Earth's atmosphere.
Physical Characteristics
Notice the specimen's distinctive features:
- Fusion Crust: The thin, dark outer layer formed as the meteorite blazed through Earth's atmosphere
- Regmaglypts: Thumbprint-like depressions created by ablation during atmospheric entry
- Metallic Luster: The characteristic shine of iron-nickel alloy
- Density: Significantly heavier than terrestrial rocks due to its metallic composition
When polished and etched with acid, Campo del Cielo meteorites reveal beautiful Widmanstätten patterns—interlocking crystal structures that form only under the slow cooling conditions found in space, taking millions of years to develop.
Cultural Significance
The Campo del Cielo meteorites hold deep cultural importance for the indigenous Moqoit people, who incorporated these "gifts from the sky" into their cosmology and daily life. The meteorites served practical purposes as well, providing a rare source of workable metal in a region where iron ore was scarce.
Scientific Importance
Iron meteorites like this specimen provide crucial insights into:
- The early formation of our solar system
- Processes of planetary differentiation
- The composition of asteroid cores
- The violent history of the asteroid belt
Each fragment carries within it a 4.56-billion-year record of cosmic processes, making it older than any rock found on Earth's surface.