National Geographic News, July 22, 2010
A small impact crater discovered in the Egyptian desert could change
estimates for impact hazards to our planet, according to a new study.
One of the best preserved craters yet found on Earth, the 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
(45-meter-wide), 52-foot-deep (16-meter-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 (1.3-meter-wide) solid iron meteor weighing 11,023 to
22,046 pounds (5,000 to 10,000 kilograms) smashed into the
desert—nearly intact—at speeds exceeding 2.1 miles (3.5 kilometers)
a second.
http://snipr.com/zsb0g
<http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/07/100722-science-space-egypt-kamil-crater-meteor-meteorite-impact-hazard/>
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