THE CARANCAS, PERU METEORITE
Carancas (provisional name) is the newest extraterrestrial visitor to our planet. On September 15, 2007 a large fireball was seen and the resulting meteorite impacted in rural Peru, close to Lake Titicaca, forming a substantial crater. Eyewitnesses described a powerful shockwave which caused some damage to houses, and reportedly knocked a local farmer to the ground.

A colleague of mine with good contacts in the area immediately located a number of freshly-fallen specimens and famed meteorite collector Robert Haag—my friend and neighbor here in Tucson—visited the site and purchased all available material directly from the finders. Bob was the first American on the scene and these remarkably fresh pieces were picked up immediately after the fall. There are no fresher specimens available anywhere.

[above] Robert Haag, the original "Meteorite Man," in Peru, holding a bag containing our specimens

The Carancas meteorite has been verified as authentic, and is currently being classified at the University of Arizona, here in Tucson. It has provisionally been named Carancas, but this may change once it has officially been submitted to the Meteoritical Society's Nomenclature Committee. In the event that the NomCom assigns a different name to the fall, everyone who purchases a specimen may request a new ID card at no charge.

Some specimens show fusion crust, while others appear to show slickenside. Crater forming events are extremely rare! The last impact large enough to create a crater was the Sikhote-Alin meteorite shower of 1947. So far, the verified collected total weight of this meteorite is only about 1,800 grams. Specimens have been selling on eBay for more than $200 per gram. Although some locals think there is a mass sitting at the bottom of the water-filled crater, most impact specialists believe the meteorite vaporized, and only these small fragments remain. Carancas is fragile, so even if some material exists within the crater it is almost certainly already irreparably damaged. It is likely that few, if any, new fragments will be found in Peru, as the area was extensively searched by locals, and visiting meteorite hunters.

We are very pleased to offer not only the freshest specimens of the Carancas meteorite, but also some of the largest pieces known to exist. Our supply is very limited. Please call or email if you would like to reserve a specimen. Every specimen will be accompanied by an official Aerolite Meteorites ID card, and a limited edition exclusive color photo of the Carancas crater.