Talemzane crater
| Talemzane crater | |
|---|---|
Landsat image of the Talemzane crater; screen capture from NASA World Wind | |
| Impact crater/structure | |
| Confidence | Confirmed |
| Diameter | 1.75 km (1.09 mi) |
| Age | <3 Ma Piacenzian |
| Exposed | No |
| Drilled | Yes |
| Location | |
| Location | Sahara |
| Coordinates | 33°18′54″N 4°2′7″E / 33.31500°N 4.03528°E |
| Country | Algeria |
| State | Laghouat Province |
Location of the crater in Algeria | |
Talemzane or madena (Tamazight: ⵜⴰⵍⴻⵎⵣⴰⵏ Arabic: تالمزان/مادنة) is an impact crater in Algeria, 40 km south-east of Hassi Delaa (a small city). The Arabic name of the crater is "Maadna" and means "depression of ore."
The Talemzane crater has a diameter of 1.75 km. As such, it is classified as a "simple crater" (meaning a diameter of less than 2 km). It is one of two simple craters in Algeria's Saharan Platform. According to estimates, the crater formed between 203,000 and 3 million years ago. 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).