Meteorite Hunters Scour the Sahara for Riches From Outer Space

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For decades, these arid expanses have been a hotspot for a secretive and small network of experienced meteorite hunters, with the first recorded discovery in 1932, according to Chennaoui.

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Activity picked up in 2011, after several people saw a fireball crashing into the Oued Drâa valley. Within weeks, nomads retrieved pieces that were sold to dealers. The Natural History Museum in London acquired a 1.1kg (2.4 pounds) chunk for £330,000, with help from an anonymous donor, according to its 2011-12 Annual Report. Chennaoui’s own museum, The Attarik Foundation, holds a 7 gram fragment worth $7,000.

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The high sale prices of the so-called Tissint Martian pieces reflected their freshness, rarity and origin — Mars —  which was confirmed, in part, by their fusion crust and impact glass veins. Less than 0.3% of fragments in collections were knocked off the surface of the red planet, and very few have been recovered from a meteorite that was actually seen falling. 

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In 2020, Morocco began experiencing what Chennaoui calls “a gold rush.” That’s when the government made it legal for licensed meteorite hunters to export or sell up to 90% of their finds, depending on weight, after they register the discovery with the nation’s Geology Directorate, which keeps the rest for its scientific record.

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Licenses are free, but they are only available to residents, regardless of their nationality. Some licensed hunters organize expeditions for tourists.

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Even so, Morocco now has by far the least restrictive laws among meteorite-rich countries for the trade and export of space rocks. Nearby, Mauritania does not have dedicated legislation. Algeria, Libya, Egypt and Tunisia all ban exports.

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Niger, which has no laws, opened a formal investigation after a fragment — billed as the biggest piece of Mars on Earth — was sold to an anonymous bidder for $5.3 million, including taxes and fees, at a Sotheby’s auction in New York in July. Authorities questioned the export and compared it to illicit trafficking. 

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Morocco’s Geology Directorate — which is affiliated with the energy transition and sustainable development ministry — declined to answer questions, including about how many people have signed up for licenses, or how many fragments have been registered. Numbers wouldn’t reveal a complete picture, though.

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“The legal or official circuit only captures a tiny portion of the trade,” according to Chennaoui.

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The legislation builds on efforts by scientists and heritage advocates who had been expressing concern from the 1990s onwards about the vast quantities of meteorites leaving the country with no documentation. And overall, it strikes the right balance between stakeholders, Chennaoui said. 

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She added that she hopes the government will adopt a certification system soon, as that would curb underground activity by “maximizing profit.” 

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The value of meteorites has increased dramatically over the past few decades, according to Philipp Heck, senior director at the Chicago-based Field Museum. Just one gram of a Lunar meteorite now fetches more than $100, while the same amount of Martian meteorite can reach above $1,000. 

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Buyers in Morocco include hundreds of fossil and meteorite shops as well as collectors and philanthropists — such as Faouzi Chaabi, owner of Ynna Holding, one of the country’s biggest family-owned conglomerates, who said he’s passionate about protecting Morocco’s natural heritage.

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“Until a few decades ago, shiploads of meteorites and fossils left Morocco for North America and Spain unchecked and unregulated,” Chaabi said. “That pained me.”