Meteor Crater (Barringer Crater)

The best-preserved meteorite impact crater on Earth — a vast bowl blasted into the Arizona desert.

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D. Roddy, U.S. Geological Survey via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

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Overview

Meteor Crater, also called Barringer Crater, is the best-preserved meteorite impact crater on Earth and one of the most famous geological sites in the world, a gaping bowl about 1.2 kilometers across and 170 meters deep punched into the high desert of northern Arizona. It was created roughly 50,000 years ago when a nickel-iron meteorite about 50 meters wide slammed into the plain at tremendous speed, releasing energy equivalent to many megatons of TNT.

Its remarkable preservation in the arid climate made it the first crater on Earth proven to be of impact origin, a breakthrough by geologist Eugene Shoemaker, and it became a training ground for Apollo astronauts preparing to explore the Moon. Privately owned and ringed by a visitor center and overlooks, it offers an awe-inspiring window into cosmic collision.

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Barringer Meteor Crater in Arizona.

D. Roddy, U.S. Geological Survey via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

This image has a resolution of 2 meters per pixel, and illumination is from the right. Layers of exposed limestone and sandstone are visible just beneath the crater rim, as are large stone blocks excavated by the impact.

National Map Seamless Server via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

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