The Atacama Desert in northern Chile is one of the best places on Earth to find meteorites. The extreme dryness — some weather stations here have never recorded rain — preserves fallen rocks for thousands of years. The pale, uniform ground makes dark stones stand out. And the sheer emptiness means fewer people have been here to pick them up first.
I spent three weeks here with a small team, walking transects across the desert floor, eyes down, looking for anything that did not belong.
Why the Atacama
Meteorites fall everywhere on Earth at roughly the same rate. But finding them requires a landscape that preserves them and makes them visible. Antarctica and hot deserts are the two best environments, and the Atacama is the driest hot desert on the planet.
The rocks here are light-colored — mostly volcanic tuff and sandstone. A meteorite, which is typically dark with a fusion crust from atmospheric entry, stands out like a chess piece on a blank board.
The Daily Routine
Each morning we drove out to our search area before sunrise, when the low-angle light makes surface features most visible. We walked in parallel lines, about ten meters apart, scanning the ground ahead of us.
It sounds meditative, and it is — until you spot something. Then your heart rate doubles. You crouch down, examine the rock, test it with a magnet (most meteorites contain iron), and try not to get too excited before the evidence is in.
What We Found
Over three weeks, our team of six found eleven confirmed meteorites. Most were ordinary chondrites — the most common type, but no less extraordinary for that. Each one had traveled millions of miles through space before landing in this desert, possibly thousands of years ago.
Holding a meteorite is a strange experience. It is simultaneously the most ordinary-looking rock and the most extraordinary object you will ever touch.