The 20 Largest Meteorites

What do the largest meteorites have in common?

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About the Data

I wanted to find out whether the largest meteorites in the dataset share any common characteristics. I used the original NASA Meteorite Landings dataset and sorted the records by mass. I then looked at the 20 largest meteorites and compared their classification, fall status, year, and location.

17 / 20
are Iron Meteorites
18 / 20
were Found
60,000 kg
Largest Mass
1575–1976
Recorded Years

Explore the Meteorites

Name Mass (kg) Mass Classification Status Year Latitude Longitude
Hoba 60,000
Iron, IVB Found 1920 -19.58333 17.91667
Cape York 58,200
Iron, IIIAB Found 1818 76.13333 -64.93333
Campo del Cielo 50,000
Iron, IAB-MG Found 1575 -27.46667 -60.58333
Canyon Diablo 30,000
Iron, IAB-MG Found 1891 35.05 -111.03333
Armanty 28,000
Iron, IIIE Found 1898 47.0 88.0
Gibeon 26,000
Iron, IVA Found 1836 -25.5 18.0
Chupaderos 24,300
Iron, IIIAB Found 1852 27.0 -105.1
Mundrabilla 24,000
Iron, IAB-ung Found 1911 -30.78333 127.55
Sikhote-Alin 23,000
Iron, IIAB Fell 1947 46.16 134.65333
Bacubirito 22,000
Iron, ungrouped Found 1863 26.2 -107.83333
Mbosi 16,000
Iron, ungrouped Found 1930 -9.11667 33.06667
Willamette 15,500
Iron, IIIAB Found 1902 45.36667 -122.58333
Morito 10,100
Iron, IIIAB Found 1600 27.05 -105.43333
Nantan 9,500
Iron, IAB-MG Found 1958 25.1 107.7
Cranbourne 8,600
Iron, IAB-MG Found 1854 -38.1 145.3
Santa Catharina 7,000
Iron, IAB-ung Found 1875 -26.21667 -48.6
Bendegó 5,360
Iron, IC Found 1784 -10.11667 -39.2
Brenham 4,300
Pallasite, PMG-an Found 1882 37.5825 -99.16361
Jilin 4,000
H5 Fell 1976 44.05 126.16667
Vaca Muerta 3,828
Mesosiderite-A1 Found 1861 -25.75 -70.5
Figure 1. The 20 largest meteorite records by recorded mass, sorted from largest to smallest. Use the filters above to explore the classifications and fall status.

What Do They Have in Common?

01 / Mostly Iron

85%

17 of the 20 largest meteorites are classified as iron meteorites. This is the strongest pattern in the dataset.

Classification Number
Iron 17
Pallasite 1
Mesosiderite 1
Other 1

02 / Mostly Found

90%

18 of the 20 largest meteorites were marked as "Found," while only 2 were recorded as having actually been observed falling.

Status Number
Found 18
Fell 2

Other Patterns

The meteorites range from 3,828 kg to 60,000 kg. Their recorded years range from 1575 to 1976. None of the 20 largest records have a year from the 2000s.

The three main outliers are Brenham, Jilin, and Vaca Muerta. Unlike most of the other meteorites in the top 20, they are not classified as iron meteorites.

Glossary

Meteorite
A piece of extraterrestrial material that reaches Earth's surface.
Mass
The amount of matter in a meteorite. The original dataset records mass in grams.
Iron Meteorite
A meteorite primarily classified as iron, making up most of the top 20 records.
Recclass
The classification given to a meteorite in the dataset.
Found
A meteorite that was discovered on Earth rather than being observed while falling.
Fell
A meteorite whose fall to Earth was observed.
Latitude
The north or south position of a meteorite's recorded location.
Longitude
The east or west position of a meteorite's recorded location.