BENDEGÓ 2Earth Science Museum
Bendegó is the largest Brazilian meteorite known to date, weighing 5.36 tons and measuring 2.15 m x 1.5 m x 0.65 m. It has a flat shape, resembling a saddle.
BENDEGÓ 3Earth Science Museum
It is a compact mass of iron, with 6.6% nickel and smaller amounts of cobalt and phosphorus. It no longer ranks among the ten largest in the world, but was the second largest in size at the time of its discovery.
Tap to explore
It was found in 1784, in Monte Santo (BA), near the Bendegó stream.
BENDEGÓ-M-03 2Earth Science Museum
BENDEGÓ-M-03 1Earth Science Museum
In 1888, it was transferred to the National Museum of Rio de Janeiro, by order of Emperor Dom Pedro II and at the request of some members of the Academy of Sciences in Paris
BENDEGÓ-M-03 3Earth Science Museum
there is a replica of it in the Palais de La Découverte, in that city, and another in Salvador, BA
BENDEGÓ-M-03 4Earth Science Museum
When the meteorite arrived in Rio de Janeiro, a cut was made to study it. A 60 kg piece was divided into smaller pieces, sent to 14 museums around the world and today fragments of the Bendegó are, for example, in Paris, London, New York and Amsterdam.
Bendegó has numerous depressions on the surface and cylindrical holes oriented parallel to its greatest dimension. These holes were formed by the burning of troilite sulfide during the meteorite's passage through the atmosphere.
