What is the Hoba meteorite made of?
What is the Hoba meteorite made of?
3 days ago
nickel-iron alloy
Hoba meteorite, lying where it was discovered in 1920 in Grootfontein, Namibia. The object, the largest meteorite known and an iron meteorite by classification, is made of nickel-iron alloy and estimated to weigh nearly 60 tons.
What elements are in a meteorite?
It seems amazing that the abundant minerals of meteorites are composed of only eight or so of these elements: oxygen (O), silicon (Si), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), aluminum (Al), calcium (Ca), sodium (Na) and potas- sium (K).
What is the very interesting fact about Hoba meteorite?
The experts all agree that the Hoba Meteorite is the biggest meteorite that has been found on earth until today. The meteorite came down about 20 km west of Grootfontein about 80,000 years ago and still remains at the same place, which is not surprising, considering the estimated weight of 60 tons.
What is a meteor in short?
A meteor is a space rock that hits the atmosphere of the Earth. A meteor is a smaller body in space that collides with the Earth or another planet. You can also use this word for the light caused by such an impact: a meteor is a shooting star. Many meteors are caused by comets that have decayed.
What is Hoba?
The Hoba (/ˈhoʊbə/ HOH-bə) meteorite, short for Hoba West, is a meteorite that lies on the farm of the same name, not far from Grootfontein, in the Otjozondjupa Region of Namibia. The name “Hoba” comes from Khoekhoegowab word meaning “gift”.
What type of meteorite is the rarest?
stony-iron meteorites
Iron meteorites, the next most common kind, consist mostly of iron and nickel and formed from the core of asteroids or planets. The rarest kind of meteorite are the stony-iron meteorites, containing about equal parts of stone and iron.
Do meteorites have new elements?
While meteorites may not contain new elements, they can have new types of minerals that scientists have not seen. When they make it to Earth in one piece, scientists can use special equipment to learn about elements that make up these rocks from space.
Why did the Hoba meteorite fall?
The Hoba meteorite impact is thought to have occurred more recently than 80,000 years ago. It is inferred that the Earth’s atmosphere slowed the object in such a way that it impacted the surface at terminal velocity, thereby remaining intact and causing little excavation (expulsion of earth).
What is the largest known meteorite to have been found on earth?
Hoba
But the largest meteorite on earth is this monster, named Hoba. It is located in Namibia, and has never been moved. Hoba is nearly twice the weight of its nearest rival El Chaco at 60 tonnes. This makes it the biggest naturally occurring piece of iron known on Earth’s surface at 6.5 square metres.
What is the difference between meteor and meteorite?
Like meteorites, meteors are objects that enter Earth’s atmosphere from space. But meteors—which are typically pieces of comet dust no larger than a grain of rice—burn up before reaching the ground. The term “meteorite” refers only to those bodies that survive the trip through the atmosphere and reach Earth’s surface.
What is a frozen ball of dust?
Generally speaking, a comet is a frozen ball (of water, carbon dioxide, ammonia and other organic carbon compound ices) hurtling through space. As these substances stream off the comet they form a spectacular gas and dust cloud of enormous length that can often be seen from earth with the naked eye.
It consists mainly of iron (82,4%) and nickel (16,4%) and some trace elements such as cobalt. Its name is derived from the Hoba Farm in the Otavi Mountains. In March 1955 the Hoba Meteorite was declared a national monument. The area around the meteorite was donated to the National Monuments Council in 1987.
What is the name of the meteorite in Namibia?
Hoba meteorite. The Hoba ( /ˈhoʊbə/ HOH-bə) meteorite, short for Hoba West, is a meteorite that lies on the farm of the same name, not far from Grootfontein, in the Otjozondjupa Region of Namibia. It has been uncovered but, because of its large mass, has never been moved from where it fell.
What is the composition and size of Hoba?
Description and composition. Hoba is a tabloid body of metal, measuring 2.7×2.7×0.9 metres (8.9×8.9×3.0 ft). In 1920 its mass was estimated at 66 tonnes. Erosion, scientific sampling and vandalism reduced its bulk over the years.
What is the composition of a meteorite?
The meteorite is composed of about 84% iron and 16% nickel, with traces of cobalt. It is classified as an ataxite iron meteorite belonging to the nickel-rich chemical class IVB. A crust of iron hydroxides is locally present on the surface, owing to weathering.