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Meteorite falls have been observed by ancient Moroccans, suggest the findings of a new discovery published by Meteor News.
Revealed on Sunday, November the 18th, the survey conducted by Moroccan meteorologist Abderahmane Ibhi and a group of researchers, based its conclusion on three petroglyphs found near Essaouira.
The images carved by ancient Moroccans show that they have witnessed meteorite falls, indicates Ibhi. Dubbed, Ida 1, 2 and 3, after the village where they were found (Ida Oukazzou), the first petroglyph shows a man and a woman, annoyed by the fall of a meteorite.
Ida 2 shows a man fleeing a meteorite falling from the sky, while Ida 3 shows a man, two animals of different sizes, the representation of the sun and a meteorite surviving its passage through the atmosphere into our planet. Ida 3, is accompanied with two lines written in Tifinagh, an abjad script used to write the Berber languages.
The petroglyphs studied were found in the area of Tiwrare, near Ida Oukazzou. The latter is located 100 km of Agadir in the Essaouira province. The group of researchers indicated that the nature of these carvings is similar to petroglyphs discovered in Brazil and South Africa.
Meteorites in Morocco
«The lines engraved on the petroglyphs signify speed», said Ibhi, who added that «eyewitnesses of the Tissint meteorite fall in 2011 in the Tata region (Morocco) reported that a fireball had appeared in the sky with a trail of smoke and continuous dust before» the meteorite hit earth.
The discovery made public by Ibhi recalls the many meteorites found in Morocco. The Meteoritical Society, a non-profit scholarly organization founded in 1933 to promote research and education in planetary science with emphasis on studies of meteorites, keeps record of all the shooting stars that hit the Kingdom.
Meteorite falls were mainly reported in the Souss-Massa, Oriental, Meknes-Tafilalt and the Guelmim-Es-Semara regions.
In their database the organization points out that, Martian meteorites were found in Morocco since 2000. Their weight was ranging from 7 kilograms (Tissint) to 7.2 grams and most of them are Shergotty meteorites, igneous rocks of mafic to ultramafic lithology from Mars.
The Martian meteorites continued showing Morocco for years, in 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.
