Talemzane crater

File:Talemzane x3.jpg

Oblique Landsat image of Talemzane crater draped over digital elevation model (x3 vertical exaggeration); screen capture from NASA World Wind

Talemzane or madena (Tamazight: ⵜⴰⵍⴻⵎⵣⴰⵏ Arabic: تالمزان/مادنة) is an impact crater in Algeria, 40 km south-east of Hassi Delaa (a small city).<ref>Template:Cite Earth Impact DB</ref>

One of four such craters in the country, Talemzane is classified as a simple crater. It has been designated by the 43rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference to be a two-million- year-old, "true meteorite crater."<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref>

The crater was explored for the first time in 1928 and studied in 1950 and 1988 by researchers from the universities of Oran (Algeria) and Nice (France). It is 1.75 km in diameter and the age is estimated to be less than three million years and is probably Pliocene.

The name Maadna come from Arabic for "depression of ore."<ref name=":0" />

See also

• List of impact craters in Africa

Further reading

• Karpoff, R., A "meteorite" crater at Talemzane in southern Algeria, with discussion (in French). International Geological Congress, 19th, Algiers, pp. 233–241. 1954
• Karpoff, R., The meteorite crater of Talemzane in southern Algeria. Meteoritics, v. 1, pp. 31–38. 1953
• Koeberl, C., African meteorite impact craters: Characteristics and geological importance. Journal of African Sciences, v. 18, pp. 263–295. 1994
• Lambert, P., McHone, J.F. Jr., Dietz, R.S. and Houfani, M., Impact and impact-like structures in Algeria. Part I. Four bowl-shaped depressions. Meteoritics, v. 15, pp. 157–179. 1980
• Lambert, P., McHone, J.F. Jr., Dietz, R.S., Djender, M. and Briedj, M., Multi-ringed structures in Algeria: Ancient impact craters or not? (abstract). International Geological Congress, 26th, Paris, France, v. 3, pp. 1248. 1980
• McHone, J. F. Jr., Greeley, R., Talemzane: Algerian impact crater detected on SIR-A orbital imaging radar. Meteoritics, v. 22, pp. 253–264. 1987
• McHone, J. F. Jr., Lambert, P., Dietz, R.S. and Houfani, M., Bowl-shaped impact craters and circular depressions in Algeria (abstract). International Geological Congress, 26th, Paris, France, v. 3, p. 1250. 1980
• McHone, J. F. Jr., Lambert, P., Dietz, R.S. and Briedj, M., Impact structures in Algeria (abstract). Meteoritics, v. 15, pp. 331–332. 1980

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