BUENOS AIRES, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Scientists have excavated a meteorite weighing over 30 tons in northern Argentina, it was reported on Monday.
The meteorite was found on Sept. 10 in the town of Gancedo, 1,085 km north of Buenos Aires, Mario Vesconi, president of the Astronomy Association of Chaco, told the daily newspaper Clarin.
"While we hoped for weights above what had been registered, we did not expect it to exceed 30 tons," Vesconi noted, adding that "the size and weight surprised us."
"It was in Campo del Cielo, where a shower of metallic meteorites fell around 4,000 years ago," the team was quoted as saying.
The meteorite will be weighed again to ensure an accurate measurement.
The largest meteorite ever found is called Hoba, weighing 66 tons and lying in Namibia.