Posted on 11/08/2004 3:54:12 PM PST by ckilmer
Largest ever field of impact craters uncovered
10:00 07 November 04
The discovery of the largest field of impact craters ever uncovered on Earth is the first evidence that the planet suffered simultaneous meteor impacts in the recent past. The field has gone unnoticed until now because it is partially buried beneath the sands of the Sahara desert in south-west Egypt.
Philippe Paillou of Bordeaux University Observatory in Floirac, France, first noticed circular geological structures in the Sahara last year, while analysing radar satellite pictures of the area.
The structures turned out to be part of a huge field of 100 craters spread over 5000 square kilometres near the Gilf Kebir plateau. The craters vary in diameter from 20 metres to 2 kilometres across. The previous largest known crater field covers a mere 60 square kilometres in Argentina.
In February, Paillou led a joint Egyptian and French mission to find the site and examined 13 of the craters, confirming that they were the result of simultaneous impacts. But accurately dating the field has been tricky. Paillou estimates that it is roughly 50 million years old, relatively young in geological terms.
The size of the field suggests that it could be the result of two or more meteors disintegrating as they entered Earth’s atmosphere, the first evidence of a multiple strike, he says.
“Because the field is so big, it can’t have been made by one meteor,” says Paillou. But more information is needed to understand the event and its effects, and Paillou plans to return to the area next month.
Jonathan Walter
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The size of the field suggests that it could be the result of two or more meteors disintegrating as they entered Earth’s atmosphere, the first evidence of a multiple strike, he says.Before the JDAM or the MOAB this was the best the universe could do. And then from the primordial ooze emerged fully-formed humans who could speak freely and haft sophisticated tools with their opposing thumbs. Now it's anything goes.
Well, we finalyy foudn the WMDs..(g)....a few million years late, and a thousand miles away...
If your point is that man is made for time but not eternity or eternity but not time--then I would disagree. I think man is made for both time and eternity.
I also think that the mythical offspring of god's and men like the minataur--are signs that something went wrong.
Except Jesus. If your point is that without Jesus time is not on our side--then I would agree.
Um, my point was...ahh nevermind.
Hardly, about the same time, maybe 60 million years ago. A large body hit the earth near present day Merida Mexico. The crater was about 180 kilometers or about 110 miles accross. That made the ~50 Megaton device the Soviets once exploded look like a firecracker in comparison. IT also likely killed off the dinosaurs.
bump
"The discovery of the largest field of impact craters ever uncovered on Earth is the first evidence that the planet suffered simultaneous meteor impacts in the recent past."
NO WAY ...
We know the dinosaurs were killed off my the climatic changes from a huge meteor ... this cant be the first evidence ... !!!
ROFLMAO!!! Ahahahaha! Too cruel, TOO funny!
You're mostly correct, it was 65 Million years ago, the end of the Cretaceous.
LOL!
We were swarmed.
No Date.
Carolina Bays (There's a half-million of these up and down the east coast of the US)
of course horseshoe crabs are considered to be "successful" since they have been around for several hundred million years compared to the <1 million for humans. but then they're horseshoe crabs. not much honor in being a horseshoe crab. doesn't look like much fun either. kids flip them over when they come out the sea. terns eat their eggs on the beach.
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