Meteorite hunting in Peru - Getting ready for Aplao

Meteorite fall - Expedition to Valley Majes Altiplano searching for meteorites. This was our pre-Aplao expedition. Only after gathering eyewitness accounts were we able to determine a better location.

Due to the extreme terrain of Aplao, we were only able to use the 4x4 to ferry equipment to the limit of power lines where there was a bulldozed road.

22 sec - Mar 29, 2006




On Feb 2, 2004 in an area in the south of Peru, hundreds of people witnessed an event they will never forget. They saw an immense fire ball roar across the sky, they felt the ground shake, heard a deafening explosion and seen a tremendous dust cloud rise in the distance. At the instant of impact, seismic sensors recorded a shock wave that registered 3.8 Richter scale tremor. The intensity of the quake indicates a meteorite mass in the hundreds or thousands of tons. An event that may be the largest recorded fall in recent history. This video clip shows the discovery of part of the strewn field, a trough created when large fragments blew out the side of a hill.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• meteorite
• Peru
• strewfield
• Aplao
• bolide