July 26, 2010

Pristine Impact Crater Discovered in Egypt Desert (PHOTO)


An amazing find in Egypt, where scientists stumbled upon a pristine impact crater the likes of which has rarely been seen before.

Said one of the experts studying the rare find in Egypt, "This crater is really a kind of beauty because it's so well-preserved that it will tell us a lot about small-scale meteorite impacts on the Earth's crust, It's so nice. It's so neat. There is something extraordinary about it."

This will be a rare attraction for people to come see, hopefully tourists who have vacation packages or plane tickets to Egypt will get to add this sightseeing to their trip. This sort of crater is usually only found on the moon or on Mars, because thy are better preserved there. So it could give new insights into how meteorites affect the environment.

Pristine Impact Crater Discovered in Egypt Desert
space

What may be the best-preserved small impact crater ever seen on Earth has been discovered in the remote Egyptian desert, scientists announced Thursday. The crater, called Kamil, is positively pristine when compared to most holes in the Earth gouged by impacting meteorites. Where many craters on our planet are partially eroded, this one retains much of its structure, down to even the rays of ejected material that were shot from the center when the space rock hit. [Photo of the new impact crater]

Pristine Impact Crater Discovered in Egypt Desert


Posted at July 26, 2010 6:07 AM