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Why
Meteor Crater
is special
Hundreds of other existing meteorite impact sites exist on earth, but the
one in northern Arizona that is simply named "Meteor Crater" is the best
preserved. And, its dimensions are astonishing: 1250 meters (4100 feet) wide and
172 meters (570 feet) deep.
Tips & insights
 The
impact of this solar system visitor was 150 times more powerful than the first atomic bomb explosion.
Meteor
Crater is so moonlike that astronauts trained inside for their moon missions.
The
earth has been struck many more times by meteors than the crater-covered moon,
yet has few impact scars because of rain, wind and other forces that erase
geologic features.
Yet,
despite being 49,000 years old, Meteor Crater is in remarkable fine shape. Main
reason: It lies in a very arid environment, which helps thwart erosion.
The
attraction is neither a state nor national park. It is privately owned and
operated.
The
air-conditioned Learning Center on the north rim has two dozen educational
exhibits and an 80-seat theatre showing a 10-minute introductory film.
Outside,
there are observation platforms and several high-powered telescopes that
permanently point to objects of interest.
The
one-hour guided walking tour that skirts the northwest rim gives you a new
perspective. In the summer, go on the morning's first tour to avoid the
scorching midday heat of this high desert plateau.
Meteor Crater
recent
history in brief
In
the first half of the 20th century, mining engineer Daniel Barringer dug and
drilled deep shafts into the crater floor to find the large remnant of the
meteor so he could sell the metal. He failed in his mission, but some people call the
geological formation “Barringer Crater” – and the shafts and some of his work
buildings and construction gear remain in place today.
Until
about a half-century ago, the science community thought that Meteor Crater was
volcanic, not meteoritic in origin. Then, astro-scientist Eugene Shoemaker successfully argued
that it could only have been created by a powerful meteor impact because of two
rare silica minerals found at the location.
In
2005, scientists announced that computer simulations showed that the meteor
fragmented and broke into pieces 14 meters (9 miles) before it hit the ground.
And, the largest piece (which amounted to about half the original mass) was not
traveling fast enough to melt appreciably its iron-nickel composition. That
solved the century-old mystery of why large chunks of the fused metal normally
associated with meteorites were never found.
 
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