The first Catalogue of Meteorites from South America includes new
specimens never previously reported, while doubtful cases and
pseudometeorites have been deliberately omitted.
The falling of these objects is a random event, but the sites where old
meteorites are found tend to be focused in certain areas, e.g. in the
deflation surfaces in Chile's Atacama Desert, due to favorable climate
conditions and ablation processes.
Our Catalogue provides basic information on each specimen like its
provenance and the place where it was discovered (in geographic
co-ordinates and with illustrative maps), its official name, its
classification type (class, and if applicable, weathering grade and
shock stage), if it was seen falling or was found by chance, its total
mass or weight, the institution where it is held, and the most important
bibliographic references about it.