Impact CratersMeteorites & Asteroids

Meteorite Impacts*

• Meteoroids < 1m in diameter tend to burn up in atmosphere

• Meteoroids > 1km can cause much damage

• Earth has more than 100 craters > 0.1km in diameter.

*Notes from meteor handout

Asteroid Impacts*

• There are many large basins and eroded craters that are suspected to be ancient asteroid sites.

• An asteroid that is 1 km in diameter has more energy than 100 times all the nuclear weapons in the world right now.

*Notes from meteor handout

How are craters formed?

Check out website:

• http://miac.uqac.ca/MIAC/crater.htm

Some craters in the world

Eslöv meteor

• Located in Eslöv Biennale, Sweden.

• Hit ~6:00 am on November 3rd, 2007

• Crater ~ 15 m in diameter

http://www.genetologisch-onderzoek.nl/index.php/136/anthropology/archaeologie/

Barringer crater*

• Located in Arizona, USA

• Weighs approx. 200,000 tons

• Meteor was ~ 50m in diameter(~1/2 soccer field)

• Crater - 1.186 km diameter

*Notes from meteor handout

http://www.solarviews.com/eng/tercrate.htm

Manicougan Crater

• Located in Quebec, Canada.

• ~200 to 300 million years old

• ~95 km across• 5th largest

http://www.scienceclarified.com/scitech/Comets-and-Asteroids/When-Comets-and-Asteroids-Strike-Earth.html

Kara-Kul

• Located in Parmir Mountains in Tajikistan.

• ~45km diameter

http://www.etsimo.uniovi.es/solar/cap/earth/karakul.htm

Clear Water Lakes Crater

• Located in Quebec, Canada.

• Only example on earth of pair impact craters.

• Demonstrate multiple hit of cometary debris

• Larger crater ~32 km• Smaller crater ~22 km

http://w ww.morien- institute.org/impact_craters.html

Mistastin Lake crater,

• Located in Nfld & Labrador, Canada

• 28 km diameter

http://www.solarviews.com/cap/earth/mistastn.htm

Deep Bay Crater

• Located in Saskatchewan, Canada

• ~13 kilometer diameter

• ~100 million years old

http://www.solarviews.com/eng/tercrate.htm

Wolfe Creek Crater

• Located in Wolfe Creek National Park, Australia

• ~0.875km diameter• Crater rim raises

~25m above plain level

• Crater floor is ~50m below crater’s rim

http://www.solarviews.com/cap/earth/wolf.htm

Impacts around the world

• Nifty website!http://geology.com/meteor-impact-craters.shtml