See Hoba Meteorite, Namibia

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The Hoba Meteorite is the largest known meteorite and likewise the largest known single mass of native iron known on earth. Hoba is a meteorite that lies on the farm "Hoba West", not far from Grootfontein, Namibia. It has been uncovered but, because of its large mass, has never been moved from where it fell. Hoba measures 2.95 x 2.84 meters and it has an average thickness of about 1 meter. The estimated 60+ ton Hoba meteorite is thought to have landed less than 80,000 years ago. It is inferred that the Earth's atmosphere slowed the object down to the point that it fell to the surface at terminal velocity, thereby remaining intact and causing 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. Since its discovery the Hoba meteorite lost about half a ton of its substance through the taking of scientific samples and especially through 'specimen taking' by tourists and travellers.

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