Hoba Meteorite - nr Grootfontein, Namibia

Discovered by Jacobus Hermanus Brits in the 1920's on the farm Hoba, the Hoba Meteorite is a piece of meteorological history that lies just 19 km from Namibia's lush green town of Grootfontein. The meteorite has been declared the world largest meteorite and weighs in at approximately 60 tonnes. It measures 2.95m x 2.84m and the thickness varies between 75cm to 122cm. As it consists of mainly iron and nickel, it can safely be described as an iron meteorite, although scientifically it is termed an ataxite, a meteorite with a high nickel content.

Although the meterorite was discovered in the 1920's it is estimated that it fell to earth about 80,000 years ago. Most meteorites, even smaller ones would be expected to leave a lot more damage on its surroundings but that is not the case with the Hoba Meteorite. Its position and the fact that no crater was formed has led scientists to believe that it fell with a very low trajectory and bounced to its final landing site on the Farm Hoba.

Jacobus Hermanus Brits made a statement after finding the meteorite, a statement which can be found at the Grootfontein Museum. The Statement reads as follows: 'One winter as I was hunting at the farm Hoba I noticed a strange rock. I sat down on it. Only its upper part was visible. The rock was black, and all around it was calcareous soil. I scratched the rock with my knife and saw there was a shine beneath the surface. I then chiselled off a piece and took it to the SWA Maatskappy in Grootfontein, whose director established it to be a meteorite.'

The meteorite itself was proclaimed a national monument on 15th March 1955 and was withdrawn on 4th May 1979. Instead, an area of 25m x 25m, with the Hoba Meteorite as the centre attraction, was declared a national monument on 30 April 1979. In 1987, Mr J Engelbrecht, the owner of the farm donated an area for the development of the site. There is now an information centre for educational purposes, a facility which was officially opened on 31st July 1987 and it is now visited by thousands of local and international tourists every year.