[meteorite-list] Scientists Discover Large Impact Crater in Eastern Jordan

[E.P. Grondine]

Hi all - 

While the date is open yet, this did not show up in
the new "cosmic dust" ice core studies either.

I suppose it is time to take a new look at the Ugarit
Baal materials.

good hunting, 
Ed


--- Ron Baalke <baalke at zagami.jpl.nasa.gov> wrote:

> 
>
http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=1093122871
> 
> Scientists discover region's largest meteor crater
> Jordan Times 
> August 8, 2006
> 
> AMMAN - A group of local and international
> scientists have discovered a
> huge crater in the eastern part of the country
> caused by a gigantic
> meteorite, thought to be the largest such find in
> the region.
> 
> The impact site in Jabal Waqf es Swwan, some 200
> kilometres east of the
> Karak Governorate close to the Saudi border, was
> discovered by
> University of Jordan geology professors Elias
> Salameh and Hani Khoury,
> along with German professor Werner Schneider.
> 
> According to Salameh, the meteorite struck the area
> around 7,500-10,000
> years ago with an impact diameter of about 100
> metres.
> 
> "The damage force of such an impact might equal
> 5,000 times that of the
> Hiroshima atomic bomb," according to Salameh, adding
> that it would have
> destroyed everything within a radius of hundreds of
> kilometres.
> 
> The crater consists of two concentric circles. The
> diameter of the outer
> ring measures around 5.5km, with the inner ring
> measuring 2.7km.
> 
> The impact size and velocity, according to Salameh,
> would have raised
> the atmospheric temperature within a radius of 10
> kilometres to more
> than one thousand degrees centigrade, spewing
> millions of tonnes of
> rocks, vapour, dust and smoke into the atmosphere.
> 
> This in turn would have formed an atmospheric cloud
> so large as to
> plunge the entire earth into darkness, with
> continuous rain for months
> or even years, resulting in the widespread flooding
> of low lands,
> according to a statement by the University of
> Jordan.
> 
> The discovery is thought to be the largest such
> meteorite crater in the
> region.
> 
> Future research at the site, which has been
> well-preserved due to the
> area's dry climate, will be supported by the
> University of Jordan and
> the Higher Council for Science and Technology.
> 
> Highlighting the importance of the find, Salameh
> said the site is
> expected to explain many geologic and historic
> features and events such
> as calcinated rocks, molten rock, highly jointed and
> cracked rocks.
> 
> There are around 130 crater structures of impact
> origin in the world.
> One of the oldest and largest clearly visible sites
> is the Vredefort
> Dome, located in South Africa.
> 
> The original crater, now eroded, was probably 250 to
> 300 kilometres in
> diameter, larger than the Sudbury impact structure
> in Canada, about
> 200km in diameter.
> 
> At two billion years old, Vredefort is far older
> than the Chixculub
> structure in Mexico which, with an age of 65 million
> years, is the site
> of the impact that is said to have led to the
> extinction of the dinosaurs.
> 
> All relevant institutions in Jordan have been
> informed about the
> discovery, including the Badia Project, the
> Department of Lands and
> Survey and the Natural Resources Authority, in order
> to take the
> necessary steps to conserve the site.
> 
>
---------------------------------------------------------------
> 
>
http://english.people.com.cn/200608/08/eng20060808_291072.html
> 
> Huge meteorite crater discovered in eastern Jordan
> People's Daily Online (China)
> August 8, 2006
> 
> A huge crater caused by a gigantic meteorite has
> been discovered
> recently in the eastern part of Jordan, the largest
> meteorite crater in the region, the Jordan Times
> reported on Tuesday.
> 
> The impact site in Jabal Waqf es Swwan, some 200 km
> east of the Karak
> governorate in eastern Jordan, was discovered by
> geology professors of
> University of Jordan Elias Salameh and Hani Khoury,
> along with German
> professor Werner Schneider.
> 
> A meteorite struck the area around 7,500-10,000
> years ago with an impact
> diameter of about 100 meters, the report said.
> 
> "The damage force of such an impact might equal
> 5,000 times that of the
> Hiroshima atomic bomb," Salameh said, adding that it
> would have
> destroyed everything within a radius of hundreds of
> kilometers.
> 
> The crater consists of two concentric circles. The
> diameter of the outer
> ring measures around 5.5 km, with the inner ring
> measuring 2.7 km.
> 
> The impact size and velocity, according to Salameh,
> would have raised
> the atmospheric temperature within a radius of 10
> kilometers to more
> than 1,000 degrees centigrade, spewing millions of
> tons of rocks, vapor,
> dust and smoke into the atmosphere.
> 
> The discovery is thought to be the largest such
> meteorite crater in the
> region, a statement issued by the University of
> Jordan said.
> 
> Salameh said that the site is expected to explain
> many geologic and
> historic features and events such as calcinated
> rocks, molten rock,
> highly jointed and cracked rocks.
> 
> There are around 130 crater structures of impact
> origin in the world.
> One of the oldest and largest clearly visible sites
> is the Vredefort
> Dome, probably 250 to 300 kilometers in diameter,
> located in
> South Africa.
> 
> Source: Xinhua
> 
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