Sunday, May 9, 2010

Beware Of Falling Meteorites - Hoba

I've lived within 60km of the Hoba Meteorite for more than 30 years but, until recently, had never visited it.


The Meteorite was declared a National Monument in 1955 and, in 1987, the owner of the farm on which it lies donated the ground and meteorite to the Namibian Government. The uranium mining company Rössing assisted with funding to develop the area to create a community income-generating project.


Thousands of tourists visit the site each year and a humorous sign at the entrance warns of the danger of falling meteorites. Could this have been the sky that fell on Chicken Licken's head?


The area around the meteorite has been spruced-up and camping sites developed.


The Hoba meteorite left no preserved crater and its discovery was a chance event. In 1920, the owner of the land is said to have encountered the object while ploughing one of his fields with an ox.


One of the signs providing information about the meteorite - it is the largest known meteorite (as a single piece) and the most massive naturally-occurring piece of iron known at the Earth's surface.


A close up of the meteorite showing how, over the years, people have tried to hack-off pieces as souvenirs - this type of vandalism has now been stopped by having a permanent caretaker on site.

Well I'm ducking-out and I'll be laying low for a few days ... ciao.

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8 comments:

  1. How come I have not heard about this before Hmmmmm. Very interesting information, have a good trip. Diane

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  2. Just back from hols and sprinting around the blogosphere to catch up with friends and then you bugger off! Like the meteorite, if only it could speak? ttfn.

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  3. Very interesting Post.
    I think I would feel very sure living near there:I guess it's difficult to have two meteorites falling in the same place :)

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  4. thanks for taking that trip and sharing. That's one huge chunk of space debris. I'm guess these souvenir takers had to bring tools with them.
    Thanks for all the info. I'm still wondering if they have any clues about the impact event from it.

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  5. I reckon most of us are guilty of living in places for years, yet never venturing further than our 'comfort zone/s' & exploring some of the sights 'tourist style' ... I am guilty of this, living at the bae of Mt. Kilimanjaro for over 5 years now, & I have never ventured to the top !!! Enjoy your time away - and don't get hit by any falling meteorites now, okay ?!

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  6. That's a very interesting story of the meteorite. It is massive! They've done a great job in setting up the park area. It looks quite beautiful around there. Enjoy yourself wherever you are.

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  7. A piece of heaven. Did you touch it?

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  8. Thanks Diane ... btw it was raining in Cape Town but I did make it to Hout Bay and sat in the Mariner's Wharf eating fish & chips on a chilly day ... thinking ...

    Howzit Dave - yeah, with friends like me, who needs enemies hey? ... :)
    Hope that you had a great time on holiday and am looking forward to you sharing your pics ...

    Hehehe Andrea ... yes, you are right - it's probably one of the safest places to be on the planet - did you visit it on one of your Namibian trips?

    Hey lisleman, yeah, it's one massive chunk of metal - I read somewhere that it probably struck the Earth at a shallow angle and skipped along to it's present resting place, that's why there's no impact crater ...

    Thanks Lynda - yeah, well, the sky hasn't fallen on my head yet ... I don't think I would have attempted a Kilimanjaro climb either - I've heard it's quite a mission to get to the top ...

    Thanks Penny, I had great time in CT - main thing is I got my camera serviced and enjoyed the rainy weather there ...

    A piece of heaven indeed Fazlisa - yes, I couldn't resist the urge to touch it which, of course, made my mind soar to other places ...

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