The Allende Meteorite on This Day in History

 

This Day in History: At 1:05am on this day in 1969, the Allende meteorite exploded as it entered the atmosphere over the village of Pueblito de Allende in Mexico's Chihuahua state. As the meteor exploded into two pieces which then fragmented into thousands, most of the stones fell in and around Pueblito Allende. Eventually, more than two tonnes — 4,400 lb — of fragments would be picked up; the Allende meteorite has become the most studied in the world, and is among the rarest because of its composition of carbonaceous chondrite.

It is estimated that 17 meteorites hit the earth's surface every day (about 6000 a year). Most of these go unseen.

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