The crater is located in the middle of the arid desert, the result of a meteorite impact
What remains of this collision shows the tremendous power of the meteorite that fell to Earth.
Meteor Crater, also known as Barringer Crater, is one of the largest and best-preserved craters on Earth.
This huge crater is located in the southwestern region of the United States, right in the middle of the arid Arizona desert. It is the result of the collision of an asteroid that occurred more than 50,000 years ago, during the Pleistocene.
The huge explosion tore through 175 million tons of rock, forming a crater 1200 meters wide. After impact, this meteorite wiped out vegetation and any living things inside it. It is estimated to be an enormous force, 150 times more powerful than the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima.
Meteor Crater is also known as Canyon Diablo Crater, Coon Mountain and Coon Butte.
Despite scientific skepticism, mining engineer Daniel Moreau Barringer purchased Meteor Crater and later founded “Meteor Crater Enterprise”, a mining company, with the help of funds from the Federal Government. state, allowing him to begin research to prove his hypotheses.
After 26 years of excavation and research without any positive results, Daniel realized that any meteorite fragment would have disappeared in the impact.
However, his thesis was found to be correct thanks to geologist Eugene Shoemaker. In 1960, this person, after the discovery and accurate analysis of several minerals, was able to confirm with certainty the origin of the meteorite.
The crater is still owned by the Barringer family today and is managed by their private company. The entire area has been used as a tourist center, equipped with an observation passage located at the edge of the crater.
In the middle of the crater is a beautiful museum, including 3-D animation technology, recreating the explosion of a meteorite when it collided with Earth. Inside there are also 24 exhibits, which display many finds including the Holsinger Meteorite, the largest fragment weighing 639 kg recovered from the crater.
This is a unique place, the perfect destination for astronomy enthusiasts.
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