Campo del Cielo

Campo del Cielo (Spanish field of heaven ) is the name of a field of impact craters in Argentina and found there fragments of iron meteorites.

History

Parts of the Campo del Cielo meteorite were first discovered in 1576. The then Spanish governor Mexía Hernán de Miraval heard of traditions of native Indians, after which iron had fallen from the sky. He therefore sent out an expedition that brought several fragments. The site, a low-water level, was aptly named Campo del Cielo (field of the sky). Some 200 years later, the Spaniards sent another expedition, as it was believed that some fragments contained silver. The reports of the Indians, however, you gave no credence, since it was assumed that the origin of the metal is an iron mine. Here, a naval lieutenant allegedly found a fragment which he estimated at 15 to 18 t. As the investigation of the material, however, showed that there were merely iron, it was allowed to return. The fragment was not found again in later expeditions.

1992 American meteorite dealers was temporarily arrested when he tried a 37 -tonne fragment - the heaviest that has been found so far - carry away. The dealer had purchased the meteorite from a local who claimed to be its owner. However, the Argentine authorities did not agree with it, and the meteorite remained in the country.

In total, more than 100 tonnes of meteorite material were found so far. The larger fragments are found in and around a range of 26 craters. The largest crater has a diameter of 78 m, at a depth of 5 m.

Through the examination of wood, which has been preserved in craters near, one determined by the radiocarbon method, the age of the crater. Accordingly, the impact of the meteoroid likely to have occurred 4,000 to 6,000 years ago.

The original cosmic small body came from the asteroid belt. Its remains are classified as coarse octaedrite Group IA. Chemical composition: 92.6 % iron, 6.68% nickel, 0.43 % cobalt, 0.25 % phosphorus, 87 ppm gallium, germanium 407 ppm and 3.6 ppm iridium.