Ait Saoun, Morocco

Ait Saoun is a rare EH3 meteorite that fell in Morocco on August 6, 2024. When a meteorite falls on my birthday, I have to go. Morocco is the heart of the meteorite industry, and this brought thousands of hunters to gather in Ait Saoun. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I had to try.

The Town

Hiking mountains

Horned Mountain Viper

Aside from the threat of heat stroke, the strewnfield was spread over vast mountains that were home to some of most deadly snakes in Morocco. There were rumours about a hunter getting fatally bit by a viper, and this rumour was later confirmed. It was hard enough to focus on finding meteorites in a mountain full of desert varnished rocks, but even more difficult was staying away from the snakes. I had a close encounter with a horned mountain viper. Fortunately it had a strip of black on it, and caught my attention before it was too late.

Days turned into weeks and I was still out there climbing mountains….but I was determined to find a piece. 10-20km per day in 40 degree weather had me packing around 5 Litres of water. By mid day, the water was tea temperature.

On September 3rd, torrential rains washed the mountains and caused numerous landslides. The worst rains that Morocco has seen in years. A difficult hunt just got more difficult. This was sad to see, knowing that any remaining meteorites are probably now buried, or at least highly oxidized.

Large washout areas cutting through the strewnfield

I changed my tactic and decided to go for meteorites less than 1 gram- so I went to the nearest city to purchase as many computer hard drives as I could. I managed to find 8, which gave me 13 magnets. I fixed them to my metal detector and tried that, but still no luck. I was running out of options.

The magnets extracted from the old computer hard drives.

My makeshift magnet detector.

All in all, I had a great time. The terrain challenged me and made me grow as a hunter. I feel more prepared for the next fall because surely it can’t be as strenuous as Ait Saoun. Each day left me feeling mentally and physically exhausted. I’m glad to walk away with my life and the experiences I gained. Ait Saoun will live with me forever.

Local women searching for fragments of the meteorite.

A lucky finder. I purchased this 3.4 gram that will remain in my permanent collection.