Carancas impact event

Location map
Peru
label = impact site
label_size = 72
position = left
background = none
lon_dir = W
lat_dir = S
lat_deg = 16
lat_min = 39
lat_sec = 52
lon_deg = 69
lon_min = 02
lon_sec = 38
lat =
long =
mark = Blue_pog.svg
marksize = 8
border = none
caption = Location in the Puno Region in Peru where the meteorite struck.coord|16|39|52|S|69|02|38|W|region:PE-PUN_type:landmark_scale:50000|display=inline,title
float = right
width = 238The Carancas impact event occurred when the "Carancas" meteorite fell on September 15, 2007. A large chondritic meteorite crashed near the village of Carancas in Peru, close to the Bolivian border and to Lake Titicaca.Planetario Max Schreier [http://fcpn.umsa.bo/fcpn/app?service=page/Planetarium_PublicationList "Meteorito por el Desaguadreo"] , September 24, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service, Budapest, Hungary, [http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap2/woalert_read.php?cid=13424&lang=eng "Cosmic Event - South-America"] , September 18, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] Teresa Cespedes, Reuters, [http://uk.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUKN1843987520070918 "Peruvians get sick from apparent meteorite crater"] , September 18, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] Ed Sutherland, All Headline News, [http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7008582242 "Experts Confirm Peru Meteorite Site"] , September 20, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] The impact created a crater and scorched earth around its location.Rory Carroll, The Guardian UK, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/space/article/0,,2171920,00.html "Peru meteorite crash 'causes mystery illness'"] , September 18, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] A local official, Marco Limache, said that “boiling water started coming out of the crater, and particles of rock and cinders were found nearby”, as “fetid, noxious” gases spewed from the crater.MSNBC, [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20838944/ "Villagers fall ill after fireball hits Peru"] , September 18, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] BBC News, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7001897.stm "Scores ill in Peru 'meteor crash'"] , September 18, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.]

After the impact, villagers who had approached the impact site grew sick from a then-unexplained illness, with a wide array of symptoms.Lester Haines, The Register, [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/18/peruvian_gas_attack/ "Peruvian 'meteorite' strike provokes noxious gas attack"] , September 18, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] Australian Broadcasting Corporation, [http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/19/2037244.htm?section=justin "Locals fall sick after meteorite lands in Peru"] , September 18, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] Living in Peru, LIP-ir, [http://www.livinginperu.com/news/4732 "Doctors Aid in Rising Number of Illnesses after Meteorite Crash"] , September 19, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] Two days later, Peruvian scientists confirmed that there had indeed been a meteorite strike, quieting widespread speculation that it may have been a geophysical rather than a celestial event. At that point, no further information on the cause of the mystery illness was known.Ed Sutherland.] The ground water in the local area is known to contain arsenic compounds, and the illness is now believed to have been caused by arsenic poisoning incurred when residents of the area inhaled the vapor of the boiling arsenic-contaminated water.José Orozco, National Geographic News, [http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/09/070921-meteor-peru.html "Meteor Crash in Peru Caused Mysterious Illness"] , September 21, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.]

The impact event

At 11:45 local time (16:45 GMT) on September 15, 2007, a chondritic meteorite crashed near the village of Carancas in the Puno Region, Peru, near the Bolivian border and Lake Titicaca (see map box on right).Planetario Max Schreier [http://fcpn.umsa.bo/fcpn/app?service=page/Planetarium_PublicationList "Meteorito por el Desaguadreo"] , September 24, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service, Budapest, Hungary, [http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap2/woalert_read.php?cid=13424&lang=eng "Cosmic Event - South-America"] , September 18, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] Teresa Cespedes, Reuters, [http://uk.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUKN1843987520070918 "Peruvians get sick from apparent meteorite crater"] , September 18, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] Ed Sutherland, All Headline News, [http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7008582242 "Experts Confirm Peru Meteorite Site"] , September 20, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] The impact created a crater larger than convert|4.5|m|ft|0|abbr=on deep, convert|13|m|ft|0|abbr=on wide, with visibly scorched earth around the impact site.Rory Carroll, The Guardian UK, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/space/article/0,,2171920,00.html "Peru meteorite crash 'causes mystery illness'"] , September 18, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] A local official, Marco Limache, said that “boiling water started coming out of the crater, and particles of rock and cinders were found nearby”, as “fetid, noxious” gases spewed from the crater.MSNBC, [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20838944/ "Villagers fall ill after fireball hits Peru"] , September 18, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] BBC News, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7001897.stm "Scores ill in Peru 'meteor crash'"] , September 18, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] The crater size was given as 13.80 by 13.30 meters (45.28 by 43.64 feet), with its greatest dimensions in an east-west direction. The fireball had been observed by the locals as strongly luminous with a smoky tail, and seen from just 1000 meters (3280.84 ft) above the ground. The object moved in a direction toward N030E. The strong explosion at impact shattered the windows of the local health center 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) away. A smoke column was formed at the site that lasted several minutes, and boiling water was seen in the crater.

Soon after the impact, over 600 villagers who had visited the site began to fall ill from unexplained causes, including symptoms of dermal injuries, nausea, headaches, diarrhea and vomiting.Lester Haines, The Register, [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/18/peruvian_gas_attack/ "Peruvian 'meteorite' strike provokes noxious gas attack"] , September 18, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] Australian Broadcasting Corporation, [http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/19/2037244.htm?section=justin "Locals fall sick after meteorite lands in Peru"] , September 18, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] Living in Peru, LIP-ir, [http://www.livinginperu.com/news/4732 "Doctors Aid in Rising Number of Illnesses after Meteorite Crash"] , September 19, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] On September 20, Peruvian scientists confirmed that there had been a meteorite strike, but no further information on the cause of the illnesses was known.Ed Sutherland.] Impact crater specialists have called the impact unusual, and have stated that the meteorite was at least convert|3|m|ft|0|abbr=on in diameter before breaking up.Monty Hayes, Associated Press/Google, [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5isWWHSxCh_u0yUNU9Gpk1qfg996A "Meteorite Likely Caused Crater in Peru"] , September 20, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] The ground water in the area is known to contain arsenic compounds, and the illness was believed to have been caused by arsenic poisoning incurred when residents of the area inhaled the vapor of the boiling arsenic-contaminated water.José Orozco, National Geographic News, [http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/09/070921-meteor-peru.html "Meteor Crash in Peru Caused Mysterious Illness"] , September 21, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] However, further investigations have led to the conclusion that the arsenic content in the groundwater did not differ from that of the local drinking supply, and that the illness reported was likely caused by the vaporization of troilite, a sulfur-bearing compound present within the meteorite within large amounts, and which would have melted at relatively low temperatures and high pressures created by such an impact.

According to cosmochemist Larry Grossman of the University of Chicago, the aerial lights and explosions reported were consistent with extraterrestrial material.Andrea Thompson, Space.com, [http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070919_peru_meteorite.html "Scientists Doubt Meteorite Sickened Peruvians "] , September 19, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.]

The loud noise and explosive impact originally led Peruvians to think that the neighboring nation of Chile had launched an attack.Liubomir Fernandez and Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, [http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-meteor21sep21,1,5605341.story?ctrack=1&cset=true "Meteorite causes a stir in Peru"] , September 21, 2007 "(registration is required)". Retrieved October 10, 2007.]

Nature of the object

A report from three geologists at Peru’s Geophysics Institute was released on Thursday, September 20. Astrophysicist Jose Ishitsuka confirmed that there had been a meteorite strike.Ed Sutherland.] Monty Hayes, Associated Press/Google.]

On September 20, the X-Ray Laboratory at the Faculty of Geological Sciences, Mayor de San Andres University, La Paz, Bolivia, published a report of their analysis of a small sample of material recovered from the impact site. They detected iron, nickel, cobalt, and traces of iridium — elements characteristic of the elemental composition of meteorites. The quantitative proportions of silicon, aluminum, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus are incompatible with rocks that are normally found at the surface of the Earth. [Mario Blanco Cazas, [http://fcpn.umsa.bo/fcpn/app?service=external/PublicationDownload&sp=227 "Informe Laboratorio de Rayos X — FRX-DRX"] (in Spanish), Universidad Mayor de San Andres, Facultad de Ciencias Geologicas, Instituto de Investigaciones Geologicas y del Medio Ambiente, La Paz, Bolivia, September 20, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.]

INGEMMET ("Instituto Geológico Minero y Metalúrgico") of Peru released internally on September 21 a report on the Carancas meteorite fall. The release of the document to the public was delayed for one week. The researchers found that the fragments from the crater zone had a chondritic texture and the following mineral composition: pyroxene 1; 40%, olivine; 20%, feldspar; 10%, pyroxene 2; 10%; kamacite; 15%, troilite; 5% and containing traces of chromite and native copper. Kamacite occurs naturally only in meteorites.

The official classification of the Carancas meteorite, accepted by the Meteoritical Society [ [http://tin.er.usgs.gov/meteor/index.php?code=45817 Meteoritical Bulletin: Entry for Carancas ] ] was done by a team of scientist working at the University of Arizona. The meteorite is an ordinary chondrite, an H chondrite breccia, containing clasts of petrologic types 4 to 5. The formal classification is H4-5. The meteoroid had experienced a considerable amount of shock before its ultimate encounter with Earth.Further results are expected, and material is also going to be studied by NASA, British and Japanese researchers according to media reports.Luisa Macedo F. & José Macharé O., INGEMMET, [http://www.ingemmet.gob.pe/paginas/pl01_quienes_somos.aspx?opcion=320 "The Carancas Meteorite Fall, 15 September 2007"] , September 21, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.]

Illness complaints

Afterwards, local townspeople went to see what happened, and 100 to 200 people who got near to the meteorite crater soon reported feeling sick.Teresa Cespedes, Reuters, [http://uk.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUKN1843987520070918 "Peruvians get sick from apparent meteorite crater"] , September 18, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] Ed Sutherland, All Headline News, [http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7008582242 "Experts Confirm Peru Meteorite Site"] , September 20, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] First responding police officers arriving to investigate the scene also fell ill.Agence France Presse, [http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gDC5TNcMdGoRuHqJTzPpeyU8ZJ2Q "Peruvian scientists probe fumes from meteorite crater"] , September 18, 2007 "(first published report of event)". Retrieved October 10, 2007.] After the initial event of September 15, the number of people falling ill increased, requiring physicians to establish auxiliary medical tents for the Carancas health center.Living in Peru, LIP-ir, [http://www.livinginperu.com/news/4732 "Doctors Aid in Rising Number of Illnesses after Meteorite Crash"] , September 19, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] Patients were treated for dermal injuries, nausea, headaches, diarrhea and vomiting.Australian Broadcasting Corporation, [http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/19/2037244.htm?section=justin "Locals fall sick after meteorite lands in Peru"] , September 18, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] Living in Peru, LIP-ir, [http://www.livinginperu.com/news/4732 "Doctors Aid in Rising Number of Illnesses after Meteorite Crash"] , September 19, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] The death of nearby livestock was also reported.CBC News, [http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/09/19/peru-meteorite.html "600 sick in Peru after 'meteorite' crashes"] , September 19, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] Locals made the decision to stop drinking from nearby water sources for fear of contamination and authorities considered declaring a state of emergency.MSNBC.] Living in Peru, LIP-ir, [http://www.livinginperu.com/news/4732 "Doctors Aid in Rising Number of Illnesses after Meteorite Crash"] , September 19, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] Four days after the meteorite impact and the unexplained illness, most villagers reported having recovered.José Orozco.]

Reported details about the event, such as water boiling in the muddy crater for ten minutes from the heat of the impact, presented a problem for experts. Because the impact site is at a high altitude of more than convert|3800|m|ft|0|abbr=on, the meteoroid may not have been slowed down as much as it ordinarily would have been by passage through the Earth’s denser lower atmosphere, and kinetic energy at impact may have been unusually high for a terrestrial impact of an object of this size and mass. Most larger meteorites are cold in their bulk mass when they land on Earth, since their heated outer layers ablate from the objects before impacting.Monty Hayes, Associated Press/Google, [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5isWWHSxCh_u0yUNU9Gpk1qfg996A "Meteorite Likely Caused Crater in Peru"] , September 20, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] It was later confirmed that the meteorite had high degrees of iron and possessed magnetic properties common to similar metallic objects, which contributed to its capacity to retain heat during atmospheric entry.Living in Peru, LIP-ir, [http://www.livinginperu.com/news-4758-environmentnature-astrophysicist-peru-identifies-properties-meteorite "Astrophysicist in Peru Identifies Properties in Meteorite"] , September 21, 2007, 17:00. Retrieved October 10, 2007.]

Government response

In contrast with other international media reports, Peruvian health officials downplayed the incident. Jorge López Tejada, the Regional Health Director for Puno, Peru, denied any serious medical situation existed. However, a health brigade arrived with personnel and medication to the site on September 18, reporting that the odors rising from the crater were causing medical issues.Living in Peru, LIP-ir, [http://www.livinginperu.com/news-4728-health-peru-regional-health-director-reports-health-near-meteorite-crash-site "Regional Health Director Reports on Health Near Meteorite Crash Site"] , September 18, 2007, 15:00. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] Earlier, Tejada had stated that the officers were dizzy, nauseous and some were vomiting.Living in Peru, LIP-ir, [http://www.livinginperu.com/news-4724-environmentnature-police-officers-hospitalized-after-collecting-meteorite-samples-peru "Police Officers Hospitalized After Collecting Meteorite Samples in Peru"] , September 18, 2007, 11:00. Retrieved October 10, 2007.]

On September 19, Andina, Peru’s official government news agency, reported that the sick villagers appeared to be recovering somewhat.Living in Peru, LIP-ir, [http://www.livinginperu.com/news-4736-health-perus-geophysicists-test-for-radiation-meteorite-sickness-caused-by-toxic-gases "Peru's Geophysicists Test for Radiation, Meteorite Sickness Caused by Toxic Gases"] , September 19, 2007, 16:00. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] "They are recovering, there aren't any critical cases. A total of 200 people with different symptoms have been seen," stated López Tejada.Living in Peru, LIP-ir.] Government officials also specifically asked people to avoid the "glowing object that fell from the sky."Living in Peru, LIP-ir.]

uspected etiology

Scientists initially ruled out radiation as the cause of the illness. Renan Ramirez of the Peruvian Nuclear Energy Institute stated that the medical conditions could have been caused by sulfur, arsenic or other toxins that may have melted in the extreme heat produced by the meteorite strike.Agence France Presse, [http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/peru-meteor-illness-deepens/2007/09/18/1189881490291.html "Peru meteor illness deepens"] , September 18, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] Some unnamed Peruvian sources stated soon after the event occurred that it was indeed a meteorite.Teresa Cespedes, Reuters.] Associated Press, [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5isWWHSxCh_u0yUNU9Gpk1qfg996A " Peru Links Illness to Supposed Meteorite"] , September 18, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] Later on September 18, a Peruvian vulcanologist stated that the impact was caused by a chondrite meteorite arrival.Living in Peru, LIP-ir, [http://www.livinginperu.com/news-4730-environmentnature-scientist-confirms-meteorite-in-puno-peru-is-a-chondrite "Scientist Confirms Meteorite in Puno, Peru is a Chondrite"] , September 18, 2007, 18:30. Retrieved October 10, 2007.]

Some reports indicated initial suspicions that the illnesses may have been psychosomatic in nature.Monty Hayes, Associated Press/Google, [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5isWWHSxCh_u0yUNU9Gpk1qfg996A "Meteorite Likely Caused Crater in Peru"] , September 20, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] Don Yeomans, head of the Near Earth Object Program at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, said, “Statistically, it’s far more likely to have come from below than from above. The noxious fumes that have supposedly sickened curious locals who went to examine the crater would seem to indicate hydrothermal activity, such as a local gas explosion, because meteorites don't give off odors.”

By September 21, it was believed that the illness was caused by arsenic poisoning. Luisa Macedo of Peru’s Mining, Metallurgy, and Geology Institute said gases were created when the meteorite’s hot surface reacted with an underground water supply tainted with arsenic. Natural arsenic deposits in ground water are not uncommon in southern Peru. José Ishitsuka of the Peruvian Geophysics Institute said, “If the meteorite arrives incandescent and at a high temperature because of friction in the atmosphere, hitting water can create a column of steam.”José Orozco, National Geographic News, [http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/09/070921-meteor-peru.html "Meteor Crash in Peru Caused Mysterious Illness"] , September 21, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.] Meteorites, however, often impact the earth at low temperatures, making this an unusual event.Monty Hayes, Associated Press/Google, [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5isWWHSxCh_u0yUNU9Gpk1qfg996A "Meteorite Likely Caused Crater in Peru"] , September 20, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.]

ee also

* Culture of Peru
* Impact depth
* Impact event
* Meteoroid

References

External links

* [http://www.meteorite-recon.com/en/meteorite_carancas.htm Brief account on the impact event and photos of Carancas meteorite fragments]
* [http://media.www.browndailyherald.com/media/storage/paper472/news/2008/04/04/Features/Professor.Solves.A.Meteor.Mystery-3304236.shtml Brown Scientist Answers How Peruvian Meteorite Made It to Earth]