Meteorite Gebel Kamil – East Uweinat desert, Egypt

The Gebel Kamil iron meteorite, classified as a high-nickel ataxite, fell approximately 3000 BC in the desert of present-day Egypt. This impact left the Kamil crater, nearly 45 metres wide and about 16 metres deep, relatively well preserved due to its dry climate and isolated location. It is estimated that the crater was formed less than 5,000 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 border with Sudan, and is relatively isolated and inaccessible. Thousands of pieces of iron shards weighing approximately 1,600 kg have been found around the crater. Many fragments have been collected during expeditions, with the largest pieces weighing several kilograms.

The Gebel Kamil meteorite is composed mainly of iron and nickel. As an ataxite, it does not contain the Widmanstätten structures that are characteristic of some other types of iron meteorites.