Скачать или смотреть Search for the Lost Meteorite Crater of Aplao, Peru

It was mid-day on Feb 2, 2004 in an area close to the town of Aplao, Peru where many people saw and heard a giant fireball streak the sky and impacting in the distant mountains with a flash of light, a ground trembling, and a thunderous explosion that produced a gigantic mushroom cloud.

At the exact time of the impact seismic stations in Peru, Chile and Bolivia recorded a seismic event that registered 3.8 on the Richter scale with the calculated epicenter very close to where the eyewitnesses said it hit.

At first, the people thought that a large jet aircraft crashed or possibly a bomb was dropped. The police were alerted. A quick expedition was organized to hunt for survivors but after a 10 kilometer foray into the desert, the search was called off.

Scientists from the National University and other officals were contacted and efforts were made to obtain a helicopter from the military to help with the search.

No aircraft were reported lost. No military excercises were conducted that day and no mining operations are present in this area so what happened?

After questioning many eyewitnesses, the scientists of Peru came to the conclusion that it was a massive meteorite impact.

The news made headlines in many Peruvian newspapers but failed to catch the interest of the international media. The story was soon forgotten.

Because of the value to the scientific community, My wife and I, with the support of the National University in Arequipa (UNSA, and with the help of college students and professors, launched a series of expeditions to find this elusive impact site.

This is the story of Aplao.