Gebel Kamil – Aerodynamic Meteorite Flange from Egypt

The nickel-rich iron alloy that may have comprised King Tut’s dagger, ring and other burial goodies… from a crater discovered by satellite!

From the 2022 book Impact, describing the meteor’s impact on Egyptian culture: “Suddenly around 1,300 BCE, the expanded phrase bia’ — which translates to iron from the sky — started to be used for meteoritic iron. Such a lexicon shift would occur if many people witnessed a meteorite shower or large iron meterorite impact, leaving no doubt that the iron on ground had come from the sky. If you are looking for a smoking gun, the Gebel Kapil crater in southern Egypt was produced by an iron meteorite within the past 5000 years.” (p. 60-61)

It is rare to find the meteor that created a large crater. While searching for ancient Egyptian settlements on Google Earth, Italian scientist Vincenzo De Michele, a former curator of the Milan Natural History Museum, accidentally discovered a new meteorite crater!

In 2009, an Italian-Egyptian geophysical team went to the site and discovered that not only was this indeed an impact crater, but they discovered meteorites as well. The age of the crater was determined to be approximately 5,000 years old. Named after the locality by a panel of scientists, Gebel Kamil has an unusual crystalline structure.

The shorn shape of this meteorite evidences it having been ripped apart from its parent mass during a low altitude explosion. Also in evidence is the characteristic stippling. Gebel Kamil is an unusual meteorite geochemically, an ataxite ungrouped with any other meteorite on Earth. And 20% nickel by weight. Despite languishing in the deep desert for fifty centuries and acquiring a bronze-colored patina, Gebel Kamil irons are very well preserved due, no doubt, to the area’s dry climate. Its angular shapes are typical of crater-forming irons, but the “lizard skin” texture is unique to this meteorite. When sliced open Gebel Kamil reveals a surprising interior, a brilliant mirror finish when polished and no Widmanstatten pattern!

Overall Measurements: 5.9 x 3.1 x 2.2 inches (15.1 x 8.0 x 5.5 cm), weighs 1.7 kg (3 lbs., 73 oz.) Iron, ungrouped (one of 131 with this classification)
East Uweinat Desert, Egypt, 2009