Gebel Kamil

Iron, Ungrouped
Found in Egypt, 2009

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! An expedition to the remote site determined that the crater was, indeed, of meteoritic origin and probably about 5,000 years old. 800 kilos of material was recovered by academics and much of that is curated at the Egyptian Geological Museum in Cairo. 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, which makes them beautiful when lightly cleaned. But the “lizard skin” texture when natural, is unique to this meteorite. When sliced open Gebel Kamil reveals a surprising interior, a brilliant mirror finish when polished and no Widmanstätten pattern! Gebel Kamil is an ungrouped iron, meaning it does not fit into any existing classification.