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You are here: Home / Space / What Is the Biggest Meteorite In the World Found and Where Is the Best Place To Look For Meteorites On Earth?

What Is the Biggest Meteorite In the World Found and Where Is the Best Place To Look For Meteorites On Earth?

February 28, 2020 by Karen Hill

Meteorites small and large have probably fallen unnoticed almost everywhere on Earth.

Thinly populated areas, such as Australia and the Antarctic, are popular hunting grounds for meteorites because the meteorites remain undisturbed.

The impact of a large meteorite generally makes a deep impression, called a crater, on Earth’s surface.

The most recent large meteorite, with a crater about 4,200 feet (1,270 km) across and 600 feet (180 m) deep, fell some 25,000 years ago near Winslow, Arizona.

The crater is open to visitors and is big with tourists.

The largest or biggest meteorite in the world known to man, the Hoba West meteorite in Namibia, Africa, weighs an estimated 66 tons, or 60 metric tons.

It still lies where it fell.

Most meteorites weigh in at around 2 pounds, or about 1 kg.

They may drop to Earth in a shower, the result of a larger meteorite breaking up in the atmosphere.

A number of meteorites, called SNC types, S, N, and C are the initial letters of three towns, one each in India, France, and Egypt, where they were first noted, may have resulted from collisions on the Moon or Mars.

Most natural history museums have meteorites on display.

Related Facts

  • What Are Meteorites, Are All Meteors Meteorites, and What Does the Word Meteorite Mean In Greek?
  • What Are Meteorites Made of, Are All Meteorites Made of Iron, and Where Do Carbonaceous Chondrites Come From?
  • How Are Meteorites Dangerous, How Big Do Meteorites Get, and How Much Damage Do Meteorites Cause?
  • How Does a Meteorite Create a Lunar Crater and How Do Meteorites Cause Moonquakes On The Moon?
  • Will a Large Meteorite Ever Hit Earth Again and When Was the Last Large Meteorite Impact?
  • What Is The Difference Between a Meteoroid, a Meteor, and a Meteorite?

Filed Under: Space

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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