Meteorite Gebel Kamil – East Uweinat desert, Egypt
Type: iron / Ataxite
Locality: East Uweinat desert, Egypt
Weight: 12,8g
Dimensions: 2,9 x 2,3 x 0,8 cm
Year found: 2009
Total known weight: 1,6 tonnes
Surface treatment: none – raw
| Category: | Gebel Kamil |
|---|---|
| By name: | Gebel Kamil |
| ? Type: | Iron |
| ? Surface treatment: | Natural (raw) |
| Packaging: | None |
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Gebel Kamil Meteorite – Ataxite from Egypt
The Gebel Kamil iron meteorite, classified as a nickel-rich ataxite, impacted the desert of present-day Egypt around 3000 BCE. The impact left a nearly 45-meter-wide and approximately 16-meter-deep Kamil crater, which remains relatively well preserved due to the dry climate and remote location. It is estimated that the crater formed less than 5000 years ago, making it one of the youngest impact craters on Earth.
The meteorite was discovered in 2009 during an expedition led by a team of Italian and Egyptian scientists. The Gebel Kamil site is located in southern Egypt, near the Sudanese border, in a remote and inaccessible region. Thousands of iron shrapnel fragments were found around the crater, with a total mass of approximately 1600 kg. During the expeditions, many fragments were recovered, with the largest pieces weighing several kilograms.
The Gebel Kamil meteorite is composed mainly of iron and nickel. As an ataxite, it lacks the Widmanstätten structures typical of some other types of iron meteorites.