The Field of the Sky
Indigenous peoples of northern Argentina knew of a place where iron had fallen from the sky. They called it the field of the sky.
What was reported
In the Gran Chaco of northern Argentina, the local Indigenous people knew of an area where great masses of iron lay scattered across the ground, which they called Piguem Nonraltá, the field of the sky. They said the iron had fallen from the heavens.
Spanish explorers heard the stories, and an expedition in 1576 went to find the iron, thinking it might be a silver mine. Huge pieces have been found since, including one of about 37 tonnes, among the heaviest meteorites ever found.
Explanations offered
Scientists confirmed the iron came from a meteorite that broke up as it fell around 4,000 years ago, creating a field of small craters. The Indigenous account was right, and fell within human memory: people in the region may have witnessed the fall.
- When
- Fell about 4,000 years ago
- Where
- Campo del Cielo, Chaco, Argentina
- Witnesses
- Indigenous peoples, Spanish explorers and scientists
- Status
- Confirmed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.