Three physicists have taken a new look at the circumstances surrounding the mysterious Chinguetti meteorite and have developed a method to confirm whether it exists. In a paper published on the arXiv preprint server, Robert Warren, Stephen Warren, and Ekaterini Protopapa argue that there are only a few possible locations for meteorites, and that they should therefore use magnetometers to survey the area. It suggests that you may be able to solve the mystery if you do so. In 1916, French consular official Gaston Ripert discovered what he described as an “iron mound” in a part of the Sahara desert about 45 kilometers from Chinguetti, Mauritania, in northwest Africa. I reported it to my colleagues. He brought back what he claimed was proof of his existence: a piece of stone he claimed to have carved from the surface. Scientists suggested that the only explanation for the presence of such objects in the desert was a meteorite impact. Since then, many scientists have verified Lippert’s report and investigated the area where he claimed to have seen the iron cairn, but to this day no evidence has been found. In this new effort, researchers revisited existing evidence and conducted their own research to solve the mystery. After reviewing previous research, the researchers concluded that there are ample arguments for and against its existence. They note that Lippert observed what he described as metal needles in his description of the iron mound. Only in 2003 did scientists discover that such metal needles sometimes appear in nickel-rich meteorites. It is also possible that the crater created by the impact will be covered with sand. They also noticed that many previous searches appeared to have been conducted in the wrong area. Researchers say that if such a meteorite existed, it would be covered in sand dunes at least 40 meters high. By studying digital elevation models, they concluded that there are two areas in the region where such meteorites could occur. And they conclude that that means a simple survey of the two regions using magnetometers could solve the mystery.

source: https://dx.doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2402.14150