Almost every day, about 6 tons of meteoric material falls on Earth. Fragments of asteroids and similar fragments, consisting of stone, iron and nickel (alloys), arrive to us.
Some meteorites hit the news, and one managed to change life on Earth 65 million years ago, fortunately, this is rare.
In 1992, a bowling ball-sized meteorite crashed into a driveway in Peekskill, New York. With a loud bang, the rock left a dent in a parked 1980 Chevrolet Malibu. Except for the car, no one was hurt.
However, in the case of the Goba meteorite, which is considered to be the largest lump of iron in the world known from space, weighing about 90 tons, the strangest aspect is that it did not leave a crater after it fell. Scientists speculated that the massive rock apparently slowed down as it entered Earth's atmosphere.
Probably, its speed has decreased so much that Goba practically "lay down" on the territory of Namibia almost 80 thousand years ago, where it was found in 1920. When first spotted, only a small portion of the meteorite was visible on the surface.
The presence of a rare radioactive isotope nickel helped experts determine the age of the meteorite - 190-410 million years. He stopped his journey through outer space as soon as he fell to Earth.
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This huge piece of metal named Goba, which flew to us from space and consisted of iron and nickel with traces of cobalt, never moved from the landing site. He also never weighed himself on purpose. However, it is believed that at the time of its arrival on Earth, its mass was almost 90 tons, and according to 1920 data, its weight was approximately 65 tons.
Over time, a giant extraterrestrial piece of metal has lost almost 6 tons. It is not only scientific selection and erosion that are to blame for this, curious tourists also had a hand in the "weight loss" of the meteorite, chopping off pieces in memory of the iron alien.
Currently, the Goba meteorite is a tourist attraction in Namibia. Of course, this is not the first place you will want to visit when planning your next great trip, but where else can you see the largest iron rock on Earth, if not in Namibia.
