Barringer Crater

meteorite impact crater in northern Arizona

The Barringer Crater was the first meteorite crater to be recognised for what it is. It is a young crater, made about 50,000 years ago in Arizona.[1][2]

The Barringer Crater
A frament of the nickel-iron meteorite

Daniel Barringer (May 25, 1860 – November 30, 1929) was a geologist. He was the first person to prove the existence of an impact crater on the Earth. The site has been renamed the Barringer Crater in his honor, and this is the preferred name used by scientists.

The crater is a popular tourist attraction. It is privately owned by the Barringer family through the Barringer Crater Company. There is an admission fee charged to see the crater. The Meteor Crater Visitor Center is on the north rim. It displays a fragment of the meteorite.

The crater was made by a a nickel-iron meteorite about 160 feet (50 meters) across.

References

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  1. Roddy, D.J.; E.M. Shoemaker (1995). "Meteor Crater (Barringer Meteorite Crater), Arizona: summary of impact conditions". Meteoritics. 30 (5): 567. Bibcode:1995Metic..30Q.567R.
  2. [1] Earth Impact Database. Planetary and Space Science Centre University of New Brunswick Fredericton.