Impact Crater Discovered In The Sahara May Solve Mystery Of King Tut’s Gemstone

A previously unknown crater, likely of extraterrestrial origin, was discovered in the Sahara Desert.

PARIS ET AL. 2020

David Bressan writes for Forbes Magazine: Analyzing satellite images showing the terrain between the villages of Qaret Had El Bahr and Qaret El Allafa, Egypt, an international research team discovered what seems to be a previously unknown crater in the midst of the Sahara Desert. The supposed crater, tentatively named El Bahr Crater, is approximately 327 meters (1,073 ft) across with an outer 1,027 meters (3,370 ft) long rim.

The shape resembles a typical impact crater, like the famous Meteor Crater in Arizona. The researchers also found chemical traces supporting the idea that this landform was formes by a high-energy impact event. Depending on mineral content, rocks absorb or reflect different wavelengths of light. Using satellite images created by combining various wavelengths of light, the researchers identified a high concentration of orthopyroxene in the basalt rocks of the crater, while the surrounding rocks show a low concentration of this mineral. This observation suggests that the rocks were melted and then slowly cooling, formed large crystals of orthopyroxene. READ MORE