---------------------------------------------------- The Hoba Meteorite
-------- The Hoba meteorite, also known as the Hoba West meteorite, is the heaviest meteorite in the world and the largest naturally-occurring mass of iron known to exist on the surface of the earth.
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------ The meteorite, named after the Hoba West Farm near Grootfontein, Namibia, where it was discovered in 1920, has not been moved since it landed over 80,000 years ago. The discovery of the Hoba meteorite was a chance find, as it left no crater or other sign of impact; evidently the Earth's atmosphere slowed down the 66-ton iron body enough so that it fell at terminal velocity. At this speed, the meteorite stayed basically intact and the low-energy impact with the surface caused little excavation. The meteorite is unusual in that it is flat on both major surfaces, possibly causing it to have skipped across the top of the atmosphere in the way a flat stone skips on water.
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