As the name suggests, these are made of rock. Only about 6 per cent of meteorites in collections around the world are iron-rich – these are rare and rather special beasts. They are thought to ...

But they could harvest iron from meteorites to make weapons, tools, and decorative objects. Meteoric iron is easily distinguished from terrestrial iron: It has more nickel and less carbon.

In the Mauritanian desert, nomadic herders look for unusual rocks with a dark surface, hoping to find rare meteorites and strike it big.