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The Whitecourt meteorite impact crater, Alberta, Canada
Author(s) -
KOFMAN Randolf S.,
HERD Christopher D. K.,
FROESE Duane G.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
meteoritics and planetary science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.09
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1945-5100
pISSN - 1086-9379
DOI - 10.1111/j.1945-5100.2010.01118.x
Subject(s) - impact crater , meteorite , geology , ejecta , meteoroid , impact structure , astrobiology , fragmentation (computing) , shock metamorphism , geochemistry , astrophysics , physics , supernova , computer science , operating system
– The <1,100 yr old Whitecourt meteorite impact crater, located south of Whitecourt, Alberta, Canada, is a well‐preserved bowl‐shaped structure having a depth and diameter of approximately 6 and 36 m, respectively. There are fewer than a dozen known terrestrial sites of similar size and age. Unlike most of these sites, however, the Whitecourt crater contains nearly all of the features associated with small impact craters including meteorites, ejecta blanket, observable transient crater boundary, raised rim, and associated shock indicators. This study indicates that the crater formed from the impact of an approximately 1 m diameter type IIIAB iron meteoroid traveling east‐northeast at less than approximately 10 km s −1 , striking the surface at an angle between 40° and 55° to horizontal. It appears that the main mass survived atmospheric transit relatively intact, with fragmentation and partial melting during impact. Most meteoritic material has a jagged, shrapnel‐like morphology and is distributed downrange of the crater.