Catalogue of Meteorites from South America

The first Catalogue of Meteorites from South America includes new specimens never previously reported, while doubtful cases and pseudometeorites have been deliberately omitted.

The falling of these objects is a random event, but the sites where old meteorites are found tend to be focused in certain areas, e.g. in the deflation surfaces in Chile’s Atacama Desert, due to favorable climate conditions and ablation processes.

Our Catalogue provides basic information on each specimen like its provenance and the place where it was discovered (in geographic co-ordinates and with illustrative maps), its official name, its classification type (class, and if applicable, weathering grade and shock stage), if it was seen falling or was found by chance, its total mass or weight, the institution where it is held, and the most important bibliographic references about it.

The authors belong to a unique and multidisciplinary geological research group in South America, with a substantial background in Near Earth Objects, meteoritic and impact cratering studies. The group has been working on these subjects for more than 10 years in Argentina.

R.D. Acevedo is a geologist and graduate of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), currently working as a scientific investigator for the Argentine National Council of Science (CONICET). M. Rocca is a computer systems analyst, who also studied Geological Sciences at the UBA. Today his work is supported by The Planetary Society. V.M. Garcia is a technical expert at CONICET; his work focuses on researching satellite information, looking for critical localities for impact crater studies.