Argentine Customs agents detected an attempt to introduce a meteorite into the country in a vehicle arriving from Chile through the Agua Negra international pass, official sources reported this Saturday.
The rock, 12.5 kilograms and 27 centimeters long, was transferred to Buenos Aires to be analyzed on February 8 by the Argentine Mining Geological Service (Segemar), which concluded a week later that it was a meteorite.
The Segemar scientists verified the presence of depressions that "correspond to the regmaglipts formed by the ablation when the meteorite penetrates the Earth's atmosphere" and assured that its composition had an iron/nickel ratio that is not found on Earth.
Segemar described that the piece has its original surface cleaned to remove the oxidation cover and was later treated with a varnish, probably of the silicone type, to avoid possible future surface alterations.
The meteorite was detected at the Agua Negra international pass, at 4,780 meters above sea level, in the Andes Mountains, which connects the Chilean town of Huanta with the Argentine town of Las Flores in the province of San Juan (west).
The Argentine Customs agents caught their attention when inspecting a vehicle with Argentine registration that had a large number of stones in the back seat, when they inspected a shiny stone.
The vehicle was driven by an Argentine retiree, a native of the province of Córdoba (center), who arrived from Chile.
Argentine legislation establishes that meteorites that enter Argentine territory are cultural property and as such their import, export and illicit transfer are prohibited.
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