Managua: A mysterious explosion that rocked Nicaragua's crowded capital Managua, creating a large crater, appears to have been caused by a small meteorite.

Amazingly, in a sprawling city of 1.2 million people, the impact near the international airport did not cause any known injuries, but it did leave a crater measuring 12 metres across and was felt throughout the capital late on Saturday night, local time.

A photo provided by the Nicaraguan Army shows an impact crater made by a small meteorite in a wooded area near Managua's international airport. Credit:AP

Nicaraguan authorities believe it was a piece of the small asteroid dubbed "2014 RC", which passed very close to Earth on Sunday and was estimated by astronomers to be about 20 metres wide, or the size of a house.

"We are convinced that this was a meteorite. We have seen the crater from the impact," said Wilfredo Strauss of the Seismic Institute.