[meteorite-list] Discovery of a huge impact site in East Jordan

From: Darren Garrison <cynapse_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon Aug 7 10:10:11 2006
Message-ID: <udied21a4v4vrsboegf4g8h4msoq9t67f2_at_4ax.com>

Discovery of a huge impact site in East Jordan


/9/
Amman, Aug. 5 (Petra)--Professor Dr. Elias Salameh / University of Jordan has
announced the discovery of a huge impact site in East Jordan near Jabal Waqf es
Swwan. The discovery was made by Professor Dr. Elias Salameh, Professor Dr.
Werner Schneider, and Professor Dr. Hani Khoury.
The diameter of the outer ring of the impact site measures around 5.5 km ,
whereas that the inner ring is 2.7 km, and the diameter of the crater is more
than 100 m indicating an impactor diameter of about 100 m.
The impact velocity is estimated at 40 to 50 km per second accomplished within
about 1/10 of a second.
The damage force of such an impact might equal 5000 times that of the Hiroshima
atomic bomb.
The impact site seems to be the only discovered site worldwide hitting chert
layers, which makes it a unique site.
The research group estimates that the impact took place 7500 to 10000 years
before present.
Dr. Salameh stated that such an impact in size and velocity would raise the
atmospheric temperature in the surroundings (tens of kilometers) of the impact
site to more than one thousand degrees centigrade and would eject millions of
tons of rocks, dust, vapour, and smoke into the atmosphere.

This in turn would form an atmospheric cloud, which may surround the whole earth
causing darkness on earth and continuous rain for month or even years, which
results in the flooding of low lands of the earth. The impact must have resulted
in the total destroying of every thing in an area extending to covers Jordan,
Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and the north part of Saudi Arabia. It also
causes burning of anything present in a distance of hundreds of kilometers.
This impact is expect to explain many geologic and historic features and events
such as calcinated (backed) rocks, molten rock, highly jointed and cracked
rocks, shatter cores and split-offs.
In the surrounding of the impact site many new unrecorded features were also
registered.

The University of Jordan and the Higher Council of Science and Technology will
support the future national research activities of this discovery such as
mineral composition, geologic structures, remote sensing, surface evidence,
geophysical investigations, and historic dimensions.
Senior scientists will contribute to the new research to cover the different
aspects of the impact studies.
Higher studies students will also be enrolled in the research.
The relevant official institutions in the country have been informed about the
discovery such as the University of Jordan, the Higher Council of Science and
Technology, the Badia Project, the Department of Lands and Survey and the
Natural Resources Authority NRA to take the necessary steps to conserve the site
as a national sanctuary.

No impacts of the same size and of relatively the young age, within the human
history, are until known in the Middle East area.
The impact site is characterized by sparse rainfall and hence the very limited
disintegration and erosion of rocks. Therefore, the changes in the natural setup
of the area, which were produced by the impact are still seen very clearly as if
the impact happened "yesterday".
It is too early to state what type of an impactor hit the area, is it an iron, a
stone or an ice meteorite? Perhaps, the planned drilling in the area will
clarify that.



//Petra//


05/08/2006 12:29:08
Received on Mon 07 Aug 2006 10:11:10 AM PDT