
Meteor Crater, Arizona

by Science Photo Library
Title
Meteor Crater, Arizona
Artist
Science Photo Library
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Meteor Crater. Aerial view of Meteor Crater, near Winslow in northeast Arizona, USA. It is also called the Barringer Crater, after the mining engineer who first suggested that it was formed by a meteor impact. It is about 50,000 years old and is about 200 metres deep and 800 metres across. Several attempts to mine the iron-rich material of the meteor were made before a visitor centre was built in the 1960's. Two new minerals - coesite and stishovite - were identified here; both are forms of silica created at high temperatures and pressures. In recent years the crater has been used for astronaut training & studies in planet comparison.
Uploaded
May 6th, 2013
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