The crater left by the meteorite that smashed into southern Peru last September has been declared a natural and cultural heritage site, according to Agencia Andina. Hernán Fuentes, president of Puno’s Regional Government, said the decision was made in order to protect the crater from profit-seeking locals and foreigners and to preserve it from rain. The conservation effort will be lead by the National Altiplano University of Puno.
The chondrite meteorite fell close to the town of Carancas, near the Bolivian border and about 800-miles south of Lima, on September 15. Hernán Núñez del Prado, of the Geological Institute of Mining and Metallurgy in Peru (INGEMMET), told Radio Programas radio the meteorite was the size of a basketball. Its impact left a 13.5-meter wide crater.
