The Hoba Meteorite
A Namibian farmer ploughing his field struck metal. It turned out to be the largest meteorite on Earth, and it left no crater.
What was reported
In 1920, the owner of the Hoba West farm in Namibia was ploughing when his plough hit something hard. It was a slab of iron about 2.7 metres across, weighing around 60 tonnes: the largest known meteorite on Earth.
Strangely, there was no crater around it. The meteorite has never been moved, and lies where it fell.
Explanations offered
Scientists think it fell around 80,000 years ago. Its unusual flat shape may have let it skip and slow down through the atmosphere like a stone on water, so it landed at a low speed without making a crater. It is now a national monument.
- When
- Found in 1920
- Where
- Near Grootfontein, Otjozondjupa, Namibia
- Witnesses
- A farmer, then 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.