Kamil Crater
{{Short description|Meteorite impact crater in New Valley Governorate, Egypt}}
{{Infobox terrestrial impact site
| name = Kamil Crater
| other_name =
| photo =
| photo_caption =
| map = Africa
| map_caption = Asteroid impact in Africa
| coordinates = {{coord|22|01|06|N|26|05|16|E|region:EG-WAD_type:landmark|display=inline}}
| confidence = Confirmed
| diameter = {{cvt|44.8|m||}}
| depth =
| age = < 5 Ka
| exposed =
| drilled =
| imp_size = {{cvt|1.3|m|spell=in|1}}
| bolide =
| country = Egypt
| state =
}}
{{Location map | Egypt
| AlternativeMap = Egypt relief location map.jpg
| caption = Location of the Kamil Crater in Egypt
| width=210
| label= Kamil
| label-size=70
| background = #44CCDD
| position=right
| lat = 22.018333
| long= 26.08775
| mark=Green_pog.svg
| marksize=10
| float=right
}}
Image:Kamil crater LC08 L1TP 179045 20180822 20180829 01 T1.jpg
Image:Gebel kamil meteorite 60gm.jpg
The Kamil Crater is a {{Convert|44.8|m|ft|adj=mid|-wide}} and {{Convert|15.8|m|ft|adj=mid|-deep}} (original depth, a part covered by sand at present) meteorite impact crater in the East Uweinat Desert in southwestern New Valley Governorate, Egypt,{{cite journal|first1= Luigi|last1= Folco|first2= Mario|last2= Di Martino|first3= Ahmed|last3= El Barkooky|first4= Massimo|last4= D'Orazio|first5= Ahmed|last5= Lethy|first6= Stefano|last6= Urbini|first7= Iacopo|last7= Nicolosi|first8= Mahfooz|last8= Hafez|first9= Carole|last10= Van Ginneken|first10= M.|last11= Zeoli|first11= A.|last12= Radwan|first12= A. M.|last13= El Khrepy|first13= S.|last14= El Gabry|first14= M.|last15= Gomaa|first15= M.|last16= Barakat|first16= A. A.|last17= Serra|first17= R.|last18= El Sharkawi|first18= M.|last9= Cordier|title= The Kamil Crater in Egypt|journal= Science|date= 2010-08-13|volume= 329|issue= 5993|page= 804|doi= 10.1126/science.1190990|bibcode = 2010Sci...329..804F|pmid=20651117|s2cid= 206527055}}{{cite web|url= http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/07/100722-science-space-egypt-kamil-crater-meteor-meteorite-impact-hazard/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100725153513/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/07/100722-science-space-egypt-kamil-crater-meteor-meteorite-impact-hazard |url-status= dead |archive-date= July 25, 2010 |last= Fazekas|first= Andrew|title= "Fresh" Crater Found in Egypt; Changes Impact Risk?|work= Daily news|publisher= National Geographic Society|date= 2010-07-22|accessdate= 2010-08-12}} only {{Convert|0.6|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} north of the border with the Sudan and {{Convert|600|m|ft|-2|abbr=on}} above sea level. It was located in 2008 using Google Earth satellite imagery by Vincenzo de Michele (former curator of the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milan in Milan, Italy).{{cite web|url= http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/egypt-new-impact-crater-100722.html|last= Moskowitz|first= Clara|title= Pristine Impact Crater Discovered in Egypt Desert|publisher= Space.com|date= 2010-07-22|accessdate= 2010-08-12}} It is one of the few craters on Earth with a well-preserved ray system.
Studies
The first geophysical study of the Kamil Crater was conducted during an Italian-Egyptian expedition undertaken in February 2010 as part of the 2009 Egyptian-Italian Science Year (EISY){{cite web|url= http://www.mna.it/Kamil/|title= The Kamil Crater|publisher= Museo Nazionale Antartide|accessdate= 2010-08-12|url-status= dead|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20101017160146/http://www.mna.it/Kamil/|archivedate= 2010-10-17}} and proved the meteoritic origin of the crater. It is estimated to be less than 5,000 years old{{cite web|url= http://geology.gsapubs.org/content/39/2/179.abstract |title= Kamil Crater (Egypt): Ground truth for small-scale meteorite impacts on Earth|publisher= Geology|date= 2010-10-04|accessdate= 2011-01-24 |author1= L. Folco|author2= M. Di Martino|author3= A. El Barkooky|author4= M. D'Orazio|author5= A. Lethy|author6= S. Urbini|author7= I. Nicolosi|author8= M. Hafez|author9= C. Cordier|author10= M. van Ginneken|author11= A. Zeoli|author12= A.M. Radwan|author13= S. El Khrepy|author14= M. El Gabry|author15= M. Gomaa|author16= A.A. Barakat|author17= R. Serra|author18= M. El Sharkawi|authorlink1= Luigi Folco|authorlink2= Mario Di Martino}}{{cite news|url= http://news.discovery.com/space/meteorite-impact-crater-google.html|last= Perkins|first= Sid|agency= Science News|title= Meteorite impact crater found with Google Earth|date= 2010-07-23|publisher= DiscoveryNews|accessdate= 2010-08-12}} and shows a well-preserved rayed structure. The crater was produced by an iron meteorite that has been given an official name after the closest topographic feature in the area, Gebel Kamil,{{cite web|url= http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php?code=52031 |title= Gebel Kamil|work= Meteoritical Bulletin Database|publisher= Meteoritical Society|date= 2010-07-12|accessdate= 2010-08-12}} and which fragmented into thousands of pieces upon impact with the sandstone bedrock. The meteor is estimated to have been {{convert|1.3|m|ft|1}} wide and to have weighed {{convert|5000|to|10000|kg|lb|-4}}. Meteor fragments totalling {{convert|800|kg|lb|-2}} were recovered during the geophysical expedition, the bulk of which are curated at the Egyptian Geological Museum in Cairo. Type specimens also are curated at the Museo Nazionale dell'Antartide at the University of Siena, and at the Museo di Storia Naturale at the University of Pisa.
Kamil Crater is located at 22° 1'5.89"N latitude and 26° 5'15.69"E longitude.
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20101017160146/http://www.mna.it/Kamil/ Kamil Crater] at Museo Nazionale Antartide
- [https://www.flickr.com/photos/34146259@N04/sets/72157624440209687/ Photo set] on Flickr
- [http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&Number=924589&filename=Kamil%20Crater%20-%20Egypt.kmz KMZ File]{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} for Google Earth showing the crater position.
{{Impact cratering on Earth}}
{{coord|22|01|06|N|26|05|16|E|region:EG-WAD_type:landmark|display=title}}