Kamil
Key facts
- Country
- Egypt
- Diameter
- 45 m
- Age
- probably less than 5,000 years
- Location
- 22.02° N, 26.09° E
A small, sharp crater about 45 m across and 16 m deep, surrounded by bright rays of ejected sandstone on the flat desert surface of south-western Egypt.
Kamil Crater, in the remote south-western corner of Egypt, is one of the freshest-looking impact craters on Earth. It is small, only about 45 m across, but it is astonishingly well preserved, with rays of bright ejected rock still radiating from it across the dark desert surface, much like a young crater on the Moon.
Found from an armchair. In 2008 the Italian mineralogist Vincenzo de Michele was looking at satellite images of the region on a computer when he noticed a small, round feature with bright rays. He suspected it was a meteorite crater. In 2009 and 2010 Italian and Egyptian scientists made expeditions to the site and confirmed that it was an impact crater.
The impact. An iron meteorite perhaps about 1.3 m across and weighing perhaps 5 to 10 tonnes struck the sandstone desert at high speed, forming a bowl about 45 m wide and 16 m deep. Rays of pale sandstone and fragments of the meteorite were thrown out across the surrounding area. The crater is thought to be less than about 5,000 years old, and in the stable, dry desert it has barely changed since it formed.
A shower of shrapnel. The scientists collected thousands of fragments of the meteorite around the crater, totalling well over a tonne. Most were sharp, twisted pieces of metal, ripped apart by the impact itself rather than by the meteorite breaking up in the atmosphere. The largest single mass, weighing 83 kg, was found nearby. The meteorite has been named Gebel Kamil, after a nearby hill, and it is classified as an unusual nickel-rich iron, known as an ungrouped ataxite.
A rare case. Many small iron impactors break up in the atmosphere, producing showers of fragments and sometimes crater fields. Kamil appears to have been made by a single body that reached the ground largely intact. It therefore gives scientists a rare chance to study exactly what happens when a small iron meteorite strikes at high speed: how the crater forms, how the meteorite breaks apart, and where the debris lands.
Why it matters. Kamil shows the value of satellite imagery for discovering impact craters, even in remote places. Its excellent preservation also makes it a benchmark for computer models of small impacts, which help scientists assess the hazard from small asteroids.
Visiting. Kamil lies in a remote desert region near the borders with Sudan and Libya, a long way from any town, and can only be reached by organised expedition. Access to border areas is restricted, and removing meteorites from Egypt is not permitted without official permission.
Did you know?
Kamil was discovered in 2008 by a scientist examining satellite images on a computer.
Thousands of meteorite fragments totalling well over a tonne were collected around it.
Bright rays of ejected rock still surround the crater, like a young crater on the Moon.