The Worlds Most Expensive Meteorite: A Look at Its History and Value

 Worlds Most Expensive Meteorite Discovered

The world’s most expensive meteorite is believed to be the "Hoba meteorite," a giant nickel-iron meteorite discovered in Namibia in 1920. The huge interstellar rock is around 2 meters long, 2.7 meters wide, and measuring an estimated 66 tons in weight. It is estimated to have spiraled down to earth roughly as old as our planet, some 80 million years ago. This spectacular meteorite has an estimated worth of around USD 2.2 million dollars, though it is believed it is priceless due to its historic value.

 

The Hoba Meteorite is an iron-type meteorite composed mainly of iron and nickel, with an estimated composition of roughly 93.5% iron, 6.5% nickel, and trace elements like cobalt and phosphorus. It is a relatively nonporous, nonmetallic meteorite, different from stony ones that are common in this part of the country. This meteorite is considered to be monomict, meaning the material underwent no significant levels of metamorphism during its journey through the atmosphere, giving it a unique shape and chemical composition. It is believed that it remains largely unique due to its lack of exposure to atmospheric pressure.

 

The Hoba meteorite is thought to be one of the oldest meteorites in existence on Earth and is also the largest in size. It can be found on a farm called Grootfontein near the town of Grootfontein, Namibia, in Southern Africa, an area with a long history of meteorite falls. It is believed that the Hoba meteorite hit the earth’s surface with such force that is managed to travel 33 feet down into the Earth's crust, embedding itself almost vertically in the ground, where it has laid since it fell from the sky.

 

In 1984, the Hoba meteorite was declared a National Monument of Namibia by the nation’s Ministry of Environment and Tourism. As such, it is the largest meteorite, and the only one, to have been given such status by any nation. It has survived numerous attempts to extract it, despite its immense size, due to the surrounding soil's hardness and the strength of the meteorite itself.

 

The importance of the Hoba meteorite- and its historical and scientific value- is reflected in its price, estimated at USD 2.2 million. The value of the meteorite is much more than its composition and size, however- it is also priceless due to its unique natural history. While it is unlikely to ever be sold, the fact that the meteorite was declared a national monument proudly marks its place in human history and the sheer admiration for the universe’s most wondrous wonders.