Carancas meteorite

Crater meteorite

The Carancas meteorite is an H4-5 chondrite that struck near Carancas in the Puno region of Peru, not far from Lake Titicaca, on September 15, 2007. This meteorite became world-famous because it formed a striking crater approximately 11 to 14 meters wide. This is particularly remarkable because stony meteorites of this type usually break apart high in the atmosphere and normally do not create a distinct impact crater. Carancas, therefore, showed exactly that things can sometimes turn out differently. Local residents saw a large fireball, and subsequently, small fragments were recovered around the crater.

What is a meteorite?

A meteorite begins as a meteoroid: a small piece of rock or metal moving through space. As soon as such an object enters the Earth's atmosphere, compression and heating of the air create a bright light phenomenon that we call a meteor or fireball. Only the part that survives this passage and actually reaches the ground is called a meteorite. During flight, a dark, thin molten crust often forms on the outside. Many meteorites break apart into multiple pieces along the way, creating a so-called strewn field. The speed upon entry is often many kilometers per second higher than the final speed upon impact at the Earth's surface, because the atmosphere strongly slows the object down.

Classification and origin

Meteorites are classified based on their composition and internal structure. Most discovered meteorites are chondrites: stony meteorites with small spherical inclusions, known as chondrules, which belong to the oldest solid material from the early solar system. In addition, there are achondrites, which lack these chondrules and originate from celestial bodies where geological processes such as melting and crystallization have already taken place. Examples of these are eucrites from the HED group, which are associated with the asteroid Vesta. The letters and numbers in classifications such as H6, L5-6, or LL4 provide information about, among other things, the iron content and the degree of thermal change in the parent material. As a result, a classification reveals something not only about the type of meteorite but also about its geological history.

Box dimensions

This meteorite comes in a transparent acrylic display box measuring 5.5 x 3.5 cm.