Meteorite Nantan – Guangxi, China

The Nantan meteorite is a well-known iron meteorite that fell in 1516 in Guangxi Province, China. This meteorite is classified as a type IAB iron meteorite, which means it contains a high percentage of iron along with nickel and other trace elements. Although the meteorite fell in the 16th century, it was not significantly collected until the early 20th century. This delayed collection was partly due to local superstitions and a lack of technology for processing. The locals considered meteorites to be sacred objects and often left them untouched.

The Nantan meteorite was dispersed upon impact and broke into thousands of pieces that covered an area approximately 28 kilometers long. The sizes of the individual fragments ranged from very small, just 10 grams, to large pieces weighing up to 2,000 kilograms. The total weight of all the Nantan meteorite pieces that have been found is estimated to be about 9.5 tons.