Fantastic Gebel Kamil iron meteorite (Egypt) slice and whole specimen, paired to show the interior and exterior of the meteorite. The full polished slice weighs 88.2 grams and measures approximately 105 mm x 60 mm x 2 mm, and has a beautiful mirror-finish. The whole specimen weighs 866.5 grams and measures approximately 90 mm x 75 mm x 40 mm, with a bronze 'lizard skin' patina. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Geoff Notkin of Aerolite Meteorites Inc. and the TV show Meteorite Men, as well as two specimen identification cards.
Crater-forming irons bring with them a particular fascination. The Earth Impact Database (EID) currently lists less than 200 confirmed meteorite craters on Earth and the majority of those are ancient, the impactors that formed them having long since weathered away. There are only about fifteen craters or crater fields where iron meteorite fragments have been recovered. The discovery of any new meteorite-produced crater is sensational news for researchers and collectors alike. Such news arrived in 2009 when Vincenzo De Michele, a former curator of the Milan Natural History Museum, identified a likely crater using Google Earth satellite imagery—one of the few times that a meteorite-produced crater has been discovered from the air! An expedition to the site, located in the East Uweinat Desert, Egypt, determined that the crater was of meteoritic origin and probably about 5,000 years old. Gebel Kamil is an ungrouped iron, meaning it does not fit into any existing classification. 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. The whole specimen's angular shape is typical of crater-forming irons, but the 'lizard skin' texture is unique to Gebel Kamil and may be the result of wind and sand abrasion.
