Tiglit 28.4035278°N, 10.3734444°W
South, Morocco
Confirmed fall: 2021 Dec 9
Classification: Enstatite achondrite (Aubrite)
History: (H. Chennaoui Aoudjehane, FSAC, ATTARIK Foundation, A. Aaronson)
On December 9, 2021, around 8:30 pm, many people from southern Morocco
reported an important fireball east of Guelmim and northeast of Laayoune
moving in a northwest to southeast direction. Two field missions to the
fall area were conducted a few days after the fall by A. Aaronson, M. Fouadassi, M. Aoudjehane, L. Zennouri, H. Chennaoui (FSAC
and ATTARIK foundation). Pieces of the fall were found close to Tiglit
village and Oued Tiglit. Several eyewitnesses were interviewed. Among
eyewitnesses was Mr. Ali Boutmoula, a nomad living in a tent exactly in
the center of the fall area. At the time of fall he was outside his tent
by the river, while his uncle was inside the tent. He saw a greenish
light moving from northwest toward southeast (coming from Ouinet Ait
Oussa located northwest from his position). He walked for a few " then
he heard a large explosion over his head in the valley and the
mountains, followed by two or three more explosions after the first one.
The last explosion was a high-pitched sound like a bang in a tin
bucket. He thought it was thunder. Stones were recovered all around his
tent. A second eyewitness Mr. Hmadi Elkebchi was sitting with his family
in Oum Laouitgat village. He heard Loud explosion coming from the west
followed by three sonic booms, the last one was high pitched like
hitting a metal object. He thought it was an earthquake. Mr. Lbaz Brahim
is a third eyewitness living in Oum Laouitgat village. While leaving a
mosque, he saw a blue colored fireball followed by a green light. He
heard a large explosion, then a second and a third one, he reported a
metallic sound like hitting tin can. The trajectory he reported was
coming from Aouinat Ait Oussa in the northeast heading southwest toward
Tiglit. The next day, he went searching for pieces of the meteorite, and
all the valley smelled of sulfur. He found one of the largest stones.
Mr. Mouloud Rkhaoui and Mr. Mohamed Dghaich, nomad shepherds who were
camping about ten km east of Tiglit, heard three sonic booms followed by
a whistling. In the morning, they went to the supposed fall area and
found some pieces. The day after the fireball report, hundreds of
hunters and people from the area went searching for the fall. All
hunters reported a strong odor of sulfur in the entire valley. The first
pieces were found in the same day near the junction of Oued Tiglit and
Guelta Moukiyoud which flow towards Oued Draa. The region is steep with
significant relief. Some pieces were found on a small relief called
Assafaou which is part of the starting point of Jbel Bani the most
important mountain of the Moroccan Anti-Atlas chain. The main mass was
found at at 28.404°N, 10.373°W, and the strewn field extends to about 30
km towards the WNW.