Meteorite hunters in the desert

Meteorites are typically black and stand out against the desert sand, making them easier for "hunters" in the northwestern African nation of Mauritania to spot.

Scientists estimate that more than 45 tons of meteoroid material enter Earth's atmosphere every day. Most of it burns up, creating meteors. Of the few meteoroids that don't burn up, most fall into the ocean. The rest goes largely unnoticed, blending in with Earth's other natural rocks.

But in the vast deserts of Mauritania, a northwestern African nation, herders have learned how to find meteorites. They say they often have a dark surface due to melting as they passed through the atmosphere. While such meteorites are found everywhere, scientists say they are particularly easy to spot in places like deserts, where they stand out against a backdrop of yellow and brown sand.

Meteorite hunting has become a hobby for locals and also an opportunity to earn money.

Mohamed Bagouma examines a stone in the desert while tending his camel herd early in the morning, a few kilometers from his camp near Bir Moghrein. Photo: Washington Post

Driving from Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania, to the Bir Moghrein camp in the Sahara Desert, where nomadic people reside, takes at least 18 hours. The latter half of the journey is sandy and there are no road signs whatsoever.

In 2011, nomadic people in neighboring Morocco claimed to have seen a fireball illuminating the sky. Scientists later confirmed that a giant Martian meteorite, which they named Tissint, had fallen to the country. Fragments of it were distributed to various museums, research institutes, and collectors. Researchers believe they may contain evidence of water on Mars.

The discovery sparked a wave of curiosity throughout the region. News spread even to the most remote corners of Mauritania. The search for the meteorite began.

Mohamed Bagouma, a cattle herder and meteorite "hunter" from Bir Moghrein, said he began searching for cosmic rocks about a decade ago.

"To me, it was strange," Bagouma said. "We used to think those stones were useless."

As Bagouma and his son crossed the desert with their camel caravan, they kept their eyes on the ground. Bagouma said he had only found a valuable meteorite once, but he still held out hope. He recalled the story of another herdsman who had found a meteorite so valuable that it helped him raise enough money to move his entire family to the city.

Bagouma often brought the stones he collected to Lamine Henoun, a local expert.

Henoun, 50, studied literature at university and speaks several languages. He currently works as a part-time security guard. He has independently gathered knowledge about meteorites. He says the most common type is the chondrite, which originates from the asteroid belt. The rarest and most valuable types come from Mars and the Moon.

"This one's pretty good," Henoun said while examining the stones Bagouma had brought one recent evening.

From his small bag, Henoun took out a magnifying glass and a magnet. Most meteorites contain iron-nickel, an alloy that attracts magnets and is absent in Earth's rocks. He held the magnet close to the most promising rock and shook his head in disappointment. It didn't attract the magnet.

"Searching for meteorites is mostly a matter of luck," Henoun said.

Every day, the herdsmen would bring him stones, but Henoun only discovered one or two valuable ones each month. On such occasions, he would go to the customs office in town, connect to the Starlink internet there, and post photos on Facebook and TikTok hoping to attract collectors.

Bagouma holds in his hand rocks that he believes are meteorites. Photo: Washington Post

He once earned $55 from selling a rare chondrite. This was the largest amount of money Henoun had ever earned from selling meteorites. It was almost equal to his monthly income. "In reality, the poor people here don't benefit much," Henoun said.

Ahmedou Cheikh Abba is an exception. The 36-year-old cleric says he had never been interested in meteorites until 2023, when he joined a gold prospecting group near the Algerian border.

During a break, he noticed "a stone that was darker than the others." "There were many colors inside it. I knew that was a sign of a meteorite," Abba said.

He posted a picture of the rock on Facebook and received a lot of responses. Abba then sold it for $2,500 to a buyer from Morocco who believed the rock was a lunar meteorite.

But after conducting a more thorough analysis, the man determined it was just an ordinary rock. However, by then, Abba had already shared the money with his family and taken his children on vacation.

"Everyone knows that hunting for meteorites always involves risks," he said, shrugging.

Meteorite hunting is largely unregulated in Mauritania. One recent day in Nouakchott, a group of middle-aged men, all claiming to be meteorite dealers, sat chatting noisily by the roadside. When reporters approached, they pulled out rocks of various colors and sizes.

Hama Sidi Othaman smiled as he showed off his collection. He said he has been hunting meteorites since 2011 and is offering one for sale at $64,000. He asserted that it was a bargain for anyone wanting to collect meteorites.

"It definitely came from the Moon," Othaman asserted.

Ely Cheikh Mohamed Navee currently serves as the president of the Mauritania Astronomical Society. According to Navee, he is the only Mauritian with a PhD in planetary science.

Navee stated that Mauritania currently has six potential impact craters, two of which have been confirmed by scientists and recorded in the Earth Impact Database.

Lamine Henoun (center) examines the stones that Bagouma brought. Photo: Washington Post.

Robert Ward, a meteorite collector in Arizona, USA, is one of a growing number of people driving the trade in space rocks. Ward says some of the best specimens he has collected come from North Africa, including Mauritania.

He suggested the possibility of similar treasures scattered throughout the southwestern United States. "But people here just sit and watch TV," Ward said. "Over there, they search for them every day."

Although Mauritania has neither a meteorite museum nor a corresponding market for them, Navee asserts that his country still has a clear advantage.

"Nomads are the best collectors in the world ," he said.

"The meteorites found in Mauritania could teach us a lot about the universe and our place in it," Navee emphasized. "The future lies in what comes from space."

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/nhung-nguoi-san-thien-thach-giua-sa-mac-post287027.html