On September 15th, 2007 at 11:45 p.m., the residents in the town of Carancas, Peru were awakened by a flash across the sky and a deafening crash that felt like an earthquake. There were initial rumors that it was an airplane crash or an invasion of their country by neighboring Chile or a fireball shooting across the sky.
In a report to National Geographic News, José Ishitsuka, an astronomer at the Peruvian Geophysics Institute, described the meteorite crash. “The meteorite's impact sent debris flying up to 820 feet (250 meters) away, with some material landing on the roof of the nearest home 390 feet (120 meters) from the crater. The resulting crater resembled a muddy pond measuring 42 feet (13 meters) wide and 10 feet (3 meters) deep.”
People who went near the crater began to experience vomiting, nausea, headaches, vision irregularities and digestive problems. Police who arrived at the scene to collect rock samples also became ill. Onlookers reported noxious gas fumes at the crater site. Over 150 villagers experienced ill effects from the crash.
Scientific Exploration of the 2007 Peruvian Meteorite Crash
It was not immediately known if it was actually a meteorite that struck the earth in Peru. Other theories included debris falling from a satellite or airplane or an underground explosion.
There were some irregularities that puzzled scientists:
- Most meteorites contain metal fragments and there were none found at the crater. This also ruled out the possibility of falling debris.
- The rocks found in the samples were smooth and that was not normal. A rock meteorite, which is very rare, has smooth edges due to immediate erosion when entering the earth’s atmosphere.
- Meteors are generally radioactive and there were no heightened levels at the crater.
- Meteorites have magnetic qualities and the rock samples found at the site stuck to a magnet, which meant there was iron content.
- Samples taken of the water at the crater were normal but soil samples showed unusual color and composition.
- Witnesses who went immediately to the crater said the water boiled for at least ten minutes. Astronomers claim that meteorites are cold when they hit the earth because their outer layers burn off before impact.
Samples of water, soil and fallen rock were sent to Peru's Mining, Metallurgy, and Geology Institute (INGEMMET) for analysis.
In the above-mentioned National Geographic News Report, José Machare, a geoscience adviser at INGEMMET said, “X-ray tests conducted on the samples further confirmed the object’s celestial origins.” He added, “the group's findings put to rest earlier theories that the object was a piece of space junk or that the crater had formed by an underground explosion.”
This brought conclusive evidence that this event was a meteorite crash.
Theories on the Mysterious Illness From the Meteorite Crash, Peru 2007
There were some theories as to why the villagers got sick:
- One idea was the ground water contained arsenic and sulfur and was released by the impact of the meteorite.
- Another theory was the adverse effect of the dust stirred up when then the meteorite struck the earth.
- Several scientists believed that the mysterious illness in Carancas was a psychosomatic reaction to the sight and sound of the plunging meteorite. That is, the people only imagined they were sick.
- In an article published by the Brown Daily Herald, “Pravda, a Russian online newspaper born out of a print version run by the former Communist Party, ran the headline 'American spy satellite downed in Peru as U.S. nuclear attack on Iran thwarted' five days after the impact. The story attributes the villagers' illness to radiation poisoning from the satellite's plutonium power generator.”
What Caused the Illness at the 2007 Meteorite Crash In Peru
Luisa Macedo, a researcher for Peru's Mining, Metallurgy, and Geology Institute (INGEMMET), in the same report to National Geographic News, attributed the illness to “the result of inhaling arsenic fumes. The meteorite created the gases when the object's hot surface met an underground water supply tainted with arsenic.”
José Ishitsuka, an astronomer at the Peruvian Geophysics Institute added to the National Geographic Report, “If the meteorite arrives incandescent and at a high temperature because of friction in the atmosphere, hitting water can create a column of steam.”
Within a few days, residents of Carancas recovered from this mysterious illness, though some of the people with severe cases had to be hospitalized.
Related Articles on Explosions:
1986 Limnic Eruption of Lake Nyos, Cameroon
The Tunguska Explosion in 1908
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