Santa Fe impact structure

Coordinates: 35°43′41″N 105°51′51″W / 35.7281167°N 105.8642106°W / 35.7281167; -105.8642106
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Santa Fe impact structure
Shatter cones at the side of Highway 475 in the Santa Fe impact structure
Impact crater/structure
Confidenceconfirmed[1]
Diameter6 kilometres (3.7 mi)-13 kilometres (8.1 mi)
Ageless than 1.2 billion years
Exposedno
Drilledno
Location
LocationSangre de Cristo Mountains
Coordinates35°43′41″N 105°51′51″W / 35.7281167°N 105.8642106°W / 35.7281167; -105.8642106
CountryUnited States
StateNew Mexico
DistrictSanta Fe County
AccessSR475 northeast of Santa Fe

The Santa Fe impact structure is an eroded remnant of a

meteor impact or a nuclear explosion.[2]

It is called an "impact structure" and not a crater because it is so deeply eroded. Current estimates place the age of the impact between 1.4 and 1.6 billion years. Only the crater's basement rocks remain on the surface in the mountains today. The estimated diameter of the original impact crater is 6 to 13 kilometers (4 to 8 mi).[3] The shatter cones occur for about 1 mile (1.6 km) along the highway, which is interpreted to coincide with a central area within a crater of greater diameter.[4][5]

References

  1. ^ a b "Santa Fe". Earth Impact Database. Planetary and Space Science Centre University of New Brunswick Fredericton. Retrieved 2017-10-01.
  2. ^ French, Bevan M. (1998). Traces of catastrophe. Lunar and Planetary Institute. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
  3. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2008.03.033
    .
  4. ^ Fackelman, S.P.; T. H. McElvain; J. R. Morrow; C. Koeberl (2007). "Shatter Cone Exposures Indicate a New Bolide Impact Structure near Santa Fe, New Mexico" (PDF). Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVIII. Lunar and Planetary Institute. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
  5. ^ Tegtmeier, E. L.; H. E. Newsom; W. E. Elston; T. H. McElvain (2008). "Breccias and geological setting of the Santa Fe, New Mexico USA impact structure" (PDF). Large Meteorite Impacts and Planetary Evolution IV. Lunar and Planetary Institute. Retrieved 2008-12-31.


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