The Santa Rosa de Viterbo Meteorite was found in 1810, in the Tocavita Hill, near the town that holds the same name in the north central area of Boyacá, Colombia.[1]
| Aerolito de Santa Rosa de Viterbo | |
|---|---|
 A 411 kg fragment of the meteorite in the Colombian National Museum | |
| Country | Colombia |
| Region | Boyacá |
| Observed fall | No |
| Found date | 1810 |
| TKW | >700 kilograms (1,500 lb) |
 Santa Rosa de Viterbo in north central Boyacá, the town of the meteorite fall | |
 Related media on Wikimedia Commons | |
History
edit
In early 1810, on a Holy Saturday, a woman named Cecilia Corredor found the meteorite near the town in the Tocavita Hill. It was moved to the urban center of Santa Rosa de Viterbo, where it served as an anvil in the town's iron foundry for a long time. On 8 September 1877, the town's mayor had the meteorite placed on a stone column and exhibited in the town's central park. During the presidency of Rafael Reyes Prieto, the meteorite was moved to Bogotá and was divided into two pieces; one piece was placed in the National Museum of Colombia and the other in foreign museums.[2] Jesuits later found three more fragments of the same meteorite.
Specimens
editWhen the meteorite was first removed from Santa Rosa de Viterbo's main plaza and taken to Bogotá, it was divided into two pieces. One piece, weighing 411 kilograms, remained in Bogotá and was placed at the National Museum of Colombia, where it remains, while the other was taken abroad to be displayed in other museums.[3] The other fragments found are curated mainly at the Pontifical Xavierian University, the National University of Colombia, and La Salle University.[4]
References
edit- ^ "REGRESO EL AEROLITO: - Archivo - Archivo Digital de Noticias de Colombia y el Mundo desde 1.990". Eltiempo.com. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
- ^ "Nuestro Municipio". Santarosadeviterbo-boyaca.gov.co. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
- ^ "Aerolito de Santa Rosa de Viterbo". Archived from the original on July 25, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ "200 años de la caída de los Meteoritos de Santa Rosa de Viterbo" (PDF). Astrolabio.phipages.com. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
External links
edit
- Astrolabio.phipages.com (in Spanish)