Massive Meteor Crater Found by Google Earth

10-ton meteor hit only a few thousand years ago
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 28, 2010 2:53 PM CDT
Massive Meteor Crater Found by Google Earth
A view of the crater.   (Google Earth)

An Italian mineralogist found a massive meteor crater in the Egyptian desert using only Google Earth, the Telegraph reports. The meteor is thought to have hit as recently as a few thousand years ago, and geologists say its impact site is one of the best preserved ever found. The previously unknown Kamil crater is about 52 feet deep and 183 feet across, meaning early humans likely saw the explosion for hundreds of miles.

Vincenzo De Michele was using Google's satellite image database to observe natural land features near Egypt, Sudan, and Libya when he happened upon the crater. Compelled by the image, he organized an expedition that culminated in 40 people driving for three days through the desert to find it. The European Space Agency says the discovery will help assess future asteroid risks.
(More Google stories.)

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