On the Trail of the World's Great Meteorites
Meteor Crater #1 - Arizona, USA
Barringer Crater, Arizona, USA.
This well-preserved crater was formed about 50,000 years ago by an impact from an iron meteorite 50 metres wide. Most of the object vapourized on impact, but many pieces scattered in the surrounding area. Meteorites from this event go by the name Canyon Diablo.
Canyon Diablo
This main piece is in the Barringer Space Museum.
Photo taken Feb 2 2019
Spheroids from the impact, found around the crater site, in H. H. Nininger's collection at ASU.
Photo Feb 3 2023, ASU Meteorite Vault
Meteor Crater #2 - Odessa, Texas
The Odessa Meteor Crater is the second largest in the USA. When it formed it was 550 feet across and 100 feet deep. It has since filled in with soil. It is not as well preserved as the more famous Barringer meteor crater. Odessa Crater was formed over 63,000 years ago when a shower of iron-nickel meteorites slammed into the West Texas plains. The largest fragments penetrated down to bedrock and the explosion excavated out the crater.
Odessa
Odessa, Texas - 1922. Iron.
A 70 lb specimen.
Daniel Barringer visited the crater in 1926 and published proof of it's meteoric origin in 1928.
Photos taken Oct 19 2023, with permission Odessa Meteor Crater Museum
More Texas meteorites
Dimmitt, Texas - 1942. Chondrite.
This end piece has been cut and polished, revealing the metal particles.
Seminole, Texas - 1961. Chondrite.
This was recognized as a meteorite in 1963. It was in two pieces weighing over 40 kg. This is a cutaway showing the flecks of nickel-iron.
Dimmit
Seminole
Plainview Texas - 1917. Chondrite. Several hundred stones were found since 1917 weighing in total over 400 kg.
Plainview
Photos taken Oct 19 2023, with permission of Odessa Meteor Crater Museum
World Meteorites in the Odessa Meteor Crater Museum
Campo del Cielo - Argentina - 1576
Chinga - Russia - 1913
Cape York - Greenland
Esquel - Argentina - 1951
197 lb specimen
Huckitta - Australia - 1924
Huckitta is a pallasite that has been terrestrially weathered and chemically transformed over eons.
Photos taken Oct 19 2023, with permission Odessa Meteor Crater Museum