Vaca Muerta
VM001
This meteorite it is classified as a stony-iron, mesosiderite found in 1861 in the Atacama desert, Chile, the driest desert of the world. Mesosiderites are believed to have come from the asteroid Vesta. Mesosiderites are formed on the surface of a parent body as a result of impacts with another body. Vaca Muerta is a differentiated silicate and metal rich meteorite containing many silicate and eucrite inclusions. For this meteorite to show such a varied and disrupted character, the Vaca Muerta parent body must have been impacted countless times by different types of material to break up, mix, and fuse the various constituent pieces. * Vaca Muerta has a very weathered exterior, but still has lots of metal inside. Vaca Muerta means "Dead Cow" in Spanish. This specimen weighs in at 13 grams.