Cekricek.id – A giant meteorite found in the Sahara Desert, West Africa in 1916 was reportedly missing until now. This meteorite is called the Chinguetti meteorite, named after the nearby town where the 4.5 kg meteorite fragment was found.
Reported Sciencealert, Captain Gaston Ripert from the French consulate once told a story, he was taken by the local tribal chief to a 100 meter high hill that was entirely made of iron. From that hill Captain Ripert took a fragment weighing 4.5 kg.
However, until now, the location of the iron hill where the Chinguetti meteorite fragments came from has never been found even though many search expeditions have been carried out. Finally, in the 1990s, an expedition funded by the European Space Agency also failed to find its location.
Now, a team of scientists from Imperial College London and Oxford University are trying to find it again by analyzing magnetic mapping of the Mauritanian region. They suspect that the iron hill where the Chinguetti meteorite came from is buried under a sand dune.
Quoted in a research report published in Wiley, founder of the Meteoritical Society, Dr Monica Grady, said that if found, this meteorite could be the largest meteorite ever on Earth. “The Iron Hill is definitely powerful and I am sure it will be a scientific treasure,” he said.
Regardless of whether Captain Ripert’s story is true or not, scientists still want to solve this mystery that has been going on for more than a century. They have also identified the location based on the instructions given by Ripert and the topography of the desert in Mauritania.
Geomagnetic survey data for this location is being requested from the relevant ministry. If unsuccessful, searching on foot in the desert would be the next option even though it would take weeks.
Also read: Traces of Heaven on Earth, Meteorite Metal Found at 3,000 Year Old Iberian Archaeological Site
That is the mystery of the giant Chinguetti meteorite which has not yet been solved. Hopefully scientists will be successful in finding its location and proving the truth of this story which is more than 100 years old.
2024-03-01 14:18:18
#Mystery #Giant #Chinguetti #Meteorite #Missing #Years
