2024-08-07 16:04:02
Between July and November, the exhibition “Meteorites: World Heritage” will take place, an itinerant show that will travel through the cities of Antofagasta, Puerto Varas, Valdivia, and Santiago aiming to raise awareness about the importance of meteorites as national heritage.
The project is led by Samanta Aravena González, a geologist and master’s graduate from the University of Chile and coordinator of the Meteorites Group of the Geological Society of Chile (SGCh), who secured funding from The Meteoritical Society Endowment Fund to carry out this initiative.
The Meteorites and Planetary Sciences Group of the SGCh is a community of specialists that promotes the research and legislation of meteorites found or fallen in Chile, advocating for their protection as geological heritage of Humanity. “For us, sponsoring and supporting these kinds of events is essential, as they bring geosciences closer to the community, which is one of the main objectives of the Geological Society of Chile,” says Dr. Cristóbal Ramírez de Arellano Melo, President of the SGCh.
In addition to the SGCh, several institutions collaborate on the project: Department of Geology, University of Chile, Interactive Museum of Astronomy (MIA), National Service of Geology and Mining (Sernageomin), Austral University of Chile, and Catholic University of the North.
“This project arises from the need to promote research on meteorites, to highlight the relevance of their protection and to encourage recognition of meteorites as part of Chilean identity,” says Aravena González.
Each year, it is estimated that between 37,000 and 78,000 tons of meteorites fall to the Earth’s surface, and of the 75,600 meteorites recorded worldwide in The Meteoritical Society database (as of July 2024), 3,600 of them are recognized in Chilean soil.
Where and When
“Meteorites: World Heritage” consists of an itinerant exhibition that offers a historical and scientific tour of these space rocks. Visitors will be able to gain knowledge to recognize their geological characteristics and see meteorites on display.
The exhibition was already presented last July at the Interactive Museum of Astronomy in Santiago (MIA) and will continue its tour according to the following schedule:
Santiago – July 1 to July 31 – Completed
- Interactive Museum of Astronomy (MIA) of the Interactive Mirador Museum (MIM)
- Av. Punta Arenas 6711, La Granja, Santiago
Antofagasta – August 19 to August 24
Puerto Varas – September 4 to October 30
Valdivia – September 9 to September 14
Santiago – November 5 to November 19
Information about Meteorites
A meteorite is any extraterrestrial fragment that has impacted the Earth’s surface after surviving its passage through the atmosphere. The vast majority of them come from the asteroid belt of our Solar System, located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
These pieces are useful for reconstructing the history of planet formation. One of the oldest records in the world corresponds to the Nogata meteorite (Japan), from the year 861.
Due to the antiquity and hyper-aridity of the Atacama Desert, the Northern Grande of Chile concentrates surfaces with high meteorite density, preserved for over 3 million years.
Of the 49 geosites identified in the book “Geosites of Chile: a look at its geological wonders”, one of them, the Monturaqui crater, was created by the impact of a meteorite approximately 600,000 years ago.
Although meteorites have similarities with terrestrial rocks, they tend to be smooth to the touch (due to friction during their passage through the atmosphere), have a thin melted layer (also due to the heat from friction), and are denser than Earth rocks, among other characteristics.
In 2013, a bill was introduced to the Chamber of Deputies to amend Law 17.288 on National Monuments, with the aim of applying the status of geological monuments to meteorites and meteoric craters.