As if we didn't have enough to worry about

Largest ever field of impact craters uncovered

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.

The field of destruction is estimated to be about 50 million years old. That may seem like a long time ago to us but on a geologic time scale it was just yesterday. The dinosaurs were long gone and humankind was well on it's way to becoming what it is today. In addition to really messing up the neighborhood such an event could have an impact on the world climate that would make burning fossil fuels look like a non issue.