Friday, July 23, 2010

"Fresh" Meteorite Crater Found in Egypt

One of the best preserved craters yet found on Earth, the Egyptian Kamil crater was initially discovered in February during a survey of satellite images on Google Earth. Researchers think the crater formed within the past couple thousand years.

The Italian-Egyptian team that found the crater in pictures recently visited and studied the 147-foot-wide, 52-foot-deep hole. The team also collected thousands of pieces of the space rock that littered the surrounding desert. Based on their calculations, the team thinks that a 4.2-foot-wide solid iron meteor weighing 11,023 to 22,046 pounds smashed into the desert—nearly intact—at speeds exceeding 2.1 miles a second.

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