Arizona's Meteor Crater

Foto: Γιώργος Πανάγος ,ΑΖ

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Geology:

The crater was discovered at the end of the nineteenth century by Grove Gilbert, and studies by him and others including Daniel Barringer proved that the crater was formed by impact of a huge metallic meteor, the first and best preserved of (so far) about 150 such craters on Earth to be identified. The main evidence was the large quantities of meteoric nickel-iron rock fragments found in the crater and scattered for several miles around, this being a substance not found naturally in this location. The largest surviving fragment, viewable in the visitor center, weighs 3/4 tons. Current theories place the size of the meteor as 150 feet in diameter, and its weight at 300,000 tons.