Namibia’s Hoba Meteorite: A 60-Ton Iron Rock That Didn’t Leave a Crater

Namibia’s Hoba meteorite, about 60–66 tons and the largest intact iron meteorite on Earth, remains in place thanks to a rare combination of factors: a nickel-rich, slab-like ataxite shape, a shallow entry angle, and atmospheric braking that slowed it enough to avoid a large impact crater. Over tens of thousands of years it was buried and eroded, with some pieces taken as souvenirs before it was protected as a national monument. The episode illustrates that an object's size alone doesn’t dictate crater size; composition, shape, fragmentation, and entry trajectory are crucial for planetary defense insights.