Vaca Muerta - Mesosiderite

Vaca Muerta is a major Mesosiderite-A1 Stony-Iron meteorite from the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. It was first recognised in the 19th century after prospectors mistook its bright metallic inclusions for silver-bearing ore. With a recovered mass of around 3.8 tonnes across a large strewn field, Vaca Muerta is one of the largest known Mesosiderites and one of the most important Chilean meteorite finds. The Meteoritical Bulletin records Vaca Muerta as an approved meteorite from Antofagasta, Chile.

Vaca Muerta specimens show the characteristic mixture of metal and silicate material that defines Mesosiderites. Cut pieces can reveal bright iron-nickel metal mixed with darker silicate clasts, giving the meteorite a striking brecciated texture. Mesosiderites are thought to have formed through the mixing of metallic core material and silicate crustal material from a differentiated asteroid, and Vaca Muerta is a classic example of this unusual Stony-Iron structure.

Studying Vaca Muerta provides valuable insight into catastrophic impacts, metal-silicate mixing, and the disruption of early differentiated asteroid parent bodies. Its large recovered mass, Atacama Desert provenance, A1 classification, and strong visual contrast make it especially desirable for collectors of Stony-Iron meteorites. Each specimen represents ancient asteroid material formed through one of the most complex and dramatic processes recorded in meteorites.