Africa
Namibia
Grootfontein
Meteorite
Hoba Meteorite
Name:Hoba Meteorite
Age of the material:approx. 4.5 billion years
Impact on Earth:less than 80,000 years ago
Composition:82.4 percent iron, 16.4 percent nickel, about 0.8 percent cobalt
Length × width:2.95 × 2.84 meters
Thickness:up to 1.22 meters
Weight:approx. 60 tons
National monument:since 1955, expanded in 1979
Hoba Meteorite in Namibia, der größte bekannte Meteorit der Erde

11 Fascinating Facts About the Hoba Meteorite

 

  1. Location: The Hoba Meteorite lies in northern Namibia, about 20 kilometres west of Grootfontein in the Otjozondjupa Region. It is located on a farm and can be seen directly at the site where it was found.
  2. Significance: The Hoba Meteorite in Namibia is considered the largest known intact meteorite on Earth and is one of the country’s most extraordinary natural attractions. Its scale becomes especially clear when compared with other famous iron meteorites: El Chaco from Argentina weighs around 37 tonnes, Ahnighito from Greenland around 31 tonnes, while the Hoba Meteorite weighs around 60 tonnes.
  3. Ancient Material: The meteorite is made mainly of iron and nickel, material that formed in the early history of our solar system and is around 4.5 billion years old. This metal was probably once part of the inner core of an early celestial body. When that body later broke apart in powerful collisions, a massive fragment separated from it and began its long journey through space.
  4. Impact: The Hoba Meteorite probably fell to Earth less than 80,000 years ago. Despite its enormous weight, no large impact crater is visible today. The flat iron body was probably slowed down considerably as it entered the atmosphere and reached the ground at a comparatively low speed. Even so, its fall may still have been a dramatic event, with dazzling light, loud thunder, swirling dust and a noticeable tremor across the landscape. If a small crater formed on impact, it was probably later erased by erosion. Over thousands of years, the meteorite was slowly covered by soil and sediment until it was eventually almost completely hidden underground.
  5. Discovery: The Hoba Meteorite was discovered in 1920, when a farmer struck an unusually hard, dark, shiny metal block while ploughing. Soon after the find, it was recognised that this was not ordinary rock, but a meteorite. A detailed scientific publication with chemical analyses followed in 1932.
  6. Size and Shape: The meteorite weighs around 60 tonnes and consists mainly of iron and nickel. Its base measures about 3 by 3 metres, while it is just under 1 metre thick. Rather than looking like a typical chunk from space, it resembles a massive, almost rectangular metal slab. This flat and unusually regular shape is precisely what makes it so striking.
  7. Extremely Rare: Small meteorites reach Earth regularly, but a find like the Hoba Meteorite is a major exception. A scientific modelling study suggests that the original body may have weighed about 500 tonnes before entering the atmosphere and lost much of its mass on the way to Earth.
  8. Damage: Since its discovery, the Hoba Meteorite has been damaged repeatedly because visitors and collectors sawed off, chiselled away or even removed small pieces with torches. Together with scientific samples, the meteorite is estimated to have lost around half a tonne of material. Officially recorded collection pieces account for only a small part of this loss: one catalogued overview lists 18 known Hoba Meteorite fragments worldwide, with a total weight of around 25 kilograms. The extent of these interventions is illustrated by a 2.8-kilogram fragment that was apparently cut off with a handsaw in 1968 and appeared at auction in 2021.
  9. Protected Status: The Hoba Meteorite is officially protected in Namibia and was recognised as a National Monument in 1955. In 1979, the protected area was expanded to a zone measuring 25 by 25 metres around the meteorite.
  10. Stone Stands: In the late 1980s, the find site was extensively redesigned to protect the meteorite more effectively and make it easier for visitors to access. The enormous iron mass was fully exposed, so it could be viewed not only from above, but also from the side. Around the meteorite, a visitor area was created with amphitheatre-like stone stands, paths, seating areas, toilets and a kiosk.
  11. Origin of the Name: The name Hoba comes from the farm where the meteorite was discovered, as the farm already bore this name at the time of the find. The meaning of the name seems especially fitting, as Hoba is commonly translated as “gift”.
  • Hoba Meteorite bei Grootfontein in Namibia
  • Hoba Meteorite in Namibia, der größte bekannte Meteorit der Erde
  • Nahansicht des Hoba Meteorite bei Grootfontein in Namibia
  • Hoba Meteorite als gewaltiger Eisenmeteorit in Namibia