Global InformationKebira Crater information
| Kebira Crater | |
|---|---|
 Kebira Crater | |
| Impact crater/structure |
Kebira Crater (Arabic: فوهة كبيرة) is the name given to a circular topographic feature that was identified in 2007 by Farouk El-Baz and Eman Ghoneim using satellite imagery, Radarsat-1, and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data in the Sahara desert. This feature straddles the border between Egypt and Libya. The name of this feature is derived from the Arabic word for "large", and also from its location near the Gilf Kebir ("Great Barrier") region in southwest Egypt. Based solely on their interpretations of the remote sensing data, they argue that this feature is an exceptionally large, double-ringed, extraterrestrial impact crater. They suggest that the crater's original appearance has been obscured by wind and water erosion over time. Finally, they speculated that this feature might be the source of the yellow-green silica glass fragments, known as "Libyan desert glass", that can be found across part of Egypt's Libyan Desert. They neither conducted any fieldwork at this feature nor studied any samples collected from it.[1] However, the Kebira Crater is currently not listed in the Earth Impact Database.[2] Field trips to investigate the feature have found no supporting evidence. The "central uplift" clearly retains the horizontal bedding of the surrounding sandstone tableland, providing clear evidence against a possible impact origin.[3][4][5]
- ^ El-Baz, F., and E. Ghoneim (2007) Largest crater shape in the Great Sahara revealed by multi-spectral images and radar data. International Journal of Remote Sensing. 28(2): 451–458.
- ^ Anonymous (nd) Africa (Impact Craters), Archived 22 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine Earth Impact Database Archived 7 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Planetary and Space Science Centre, University of New Brunswick, New Brunswick, Canada.
- ^ Brügge. N. (2012) A not credible message to a so named crater "Kebira." in Geology of the Libyan Desert, accessed 20 October 2013.
- ^ Orti, L., M. Di Martino, M. Morelli, C. Cigolini, E. Pandeli, and A. Buzzigoli (2008) Non-impact origin of the crater-like structures in the Gilf Kebir area (Egypt); implications for the geology of eastern Sahara. Meteoritics & Planetary Science 43(10):1629–1639.
- ^ Di Martino M., L. Orti, L. Matassoni, M. Morelli, R. Serra, and A. Buzzigoli (2006) Non-impact Origin of the Craterfield in the Gilf Kebir Region (SW Egypt), online PDF file.