30-ton meteor discovered in Argentina at ancient meteor shower site

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – A 30-ton meteor – believed to be the world’s second largest – was discovered in northern Argentina, a news report said Monday.

A team of experts found the nearly 68,000-pound meteorite buried in the province of Chaco, some 500 miles northwest of the capital Buenos Aires on Saturday, the news agency Telam said.

The discovery was made in an area called Campo del Cielo, which lies in the municipality of Gancedo, where a meteor shower hit approximately 4,000 years ago.

The world’s largest discovered meteor – called Hoba – weighs over 50 tons and was found in Namibia nearly a century ago.

Before the latest find the previous largest meteor found in Argentina weighed about 63,500 pounds.