A meteor crater in the Egyptian desert which was only found thanks to Google Earth, could help us prepare for future impacts, claim scientists.The Kamil crater - which measures 16 metres deep and 45 metres wide - is said to be one of the best-preserved meteorite impact sites ever discovered.
It was created when a rare 10-tonne metallic meteorite travelling over 12,000 km/hour smashed into Earth's surface within the last several thousand years.
But it remained unfound until it was spotted on Google Earth in 2008 and the first expedition there took place earlier this year.
Experts collected over 1000 kg of metallic meteorite fragments, including one 83-kg chunk… unfortunately there was no signs of alien life. However, it's claimed that because the crater was undisturbed by geologic and climatic processes, it offers a unique insight into similar impacts and allows us to plan for future instances.
"This demonstrates that metallic meteorites having a mass on the order of 10 tonnes do not break up in the atmosphere, and instead explode when they reach the ground and produce a crater," says ESA's Dr Detlef Koschny, Head of Near Earth Objects.
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