SUNBURST, Mont. Montana is called Big Sky Country for a reason. But when it comes to meteorites rocks that have traveled millions of miles through space before landing on Earth the Treasure State has surprisingly little to sh ow for it.(WATCH: Big Sky, but harder to find Montana meteorites) Big Sky, but harder to find Montana meteoritesAllison Jane Scalese, known online as Prairie Girl Rocks, has spent more than a decade searching Montana's landscape for space rocks alongside geologists and meteorite hobbyists. Her conclusion is straightforward."It's been over ten years since Montana has had a classified meteorite, and I've been looking for over ten years, personally," Scalese said.The reason, she says, comes down to the land itself. Montana's thick forests, freeze-thaw cycles, and heavy soil cover cause space rocks to weather, rust, and disappear quickly after landing. According to NASA Science and the Natural History Museum, the best places to find meteorites are arid deserts like the Sahara and Atacama where minimal rainfall and sparse vegetation allow dark space rocks to stand out against pale sand and Antarctica, where glaciers act as natural conveyor belts that accumulate and preserve rocks on the surface. Montana offers neither of those conditions.For those interested in learning more, Scalese has some advice."There is no school to go to learn meteorites. And if you can do a geology course or a biology course or any of those courses before you start studying meteorites, that can be really helpful," she said.No Montana school offers a dedicated degree in meteoritics. Study in the state happens through broader geology, earth science, and astronomy programs.Even so, the search is not hopeless. Montana does have a handful of confirmed meteorite finds and at least one with a story worth telling."Meteorites blend into our environment so well here. And we have a lot of magnetically attracted rocks out here. So, they really blend in," Scalese said.The most famous Montana find is the Roundup meteorite a 39-pound iron space rock discovered near the town of Roundup in central Montana in 1990. For years, the heavy metallic rock sat on a ranch as a farm doorstop before its true cosmic origin was identified. Scientific analysis classified it as a rare IIIAB medium octahedrite. When cut and etched with acid, it reveals a Widmansttten pattern a breathtaking crystalline structure of iron-nickel alloys that takes millions of years to form inside an ancient asteroid core. Slices of the Roundup meteorite have since sold at major auction houses for tens of thousands of dollars."One was a doorstop, one was found by an elk hunter, and one's incredibly significant to science," Scalese said.Montana's meteorites remain largely hidden beneath its vast and beautiful landscape but their stories live on. Think you've spotted something unusual? Here's how to get involved: Report a Fireball Sighting: If you see a fireball or meteor streak across the Montana sky, you can report it to the American Meteor Society at:fireball.amsmeteors.org Follow Prairie Girl Rocks: Watch Allison Jane Scalese hunt for meteorites across Montana and beyond on YouTube: youtube.com/@prairiegirlrocks Shop Prairie Girl Rocks: Browse meteorite specimens and space rock collections at Allison's online store: prairiegirlrocks.myshopify.com ...read more read less