Re: Bolide sites?

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <th81@umail.umd.edu>]

At 01:03 PM 6/30/99 +0100, you wrote:
>I am still getting replies as to the causes of the K/T mass extinction.
>Again most people seem to be in favour of the asteroid exacerbating the
>dinosaurs' decline.
>
>I was wondering if anyone could recommend the most spectacular asteroid
>crater site (although not from the K/T obviously).   The bigger in
>circumference and depth,  the better. It would also be good if these sites
>were convenient to reach!

Meteor Crater near Winslow, Arizona is about 1.2 km across.  It's pretty
easy to get to, but almost trite in that every documentary I've ever seen on
asteroid impact uses footage from there...

Wolf Creek crater in Western Australia is about 0.9 km across.  I've never
been there, but it is supposed to be a tourist site so should be accessible.

Both of these are very recent impacts, of course.  Erosion, deposition, and
tectonics  have obliterated the surface traces of most older craters.

The trace of Manicouagan crater (a Late Triassic impact 70 km across) is
visible due to erosion by glaciers, but a) it is not obviously a crater to a
ground based observer and camera and b) I don't think the BBC will budget
for sending a camera crew up in a Space Shuttle or other launch vehicle in
order to film it from space...

                        Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
                        Vertebrate Paleontologist
Deptartment of Geology                  Director, Earth, Life & Time Program
University of Maryland                  College Park Scholars
College Park, MD  20742       
Webpage: http://www.geol.umd.edu        Phone:301-405-4084
Email:tholtz@geol.umd.edu               Fax:  301-314-9661