MY AMATEUR IMPACT CRATER/STRUCTURE EXPLORATIONS

Unless otherwise indicated, all of the aerial images on this RASC web site were taken from my chariot "GO ZooM". FYI, a report on one of our crater exploration trips can be viewed here: Part 1 & Part 2. This is me fulfilling one of my lifelong dreams, exploring impact craters (but only on this planet at the present time!!). by: Charles O'Dale "How bright and beautiful a comet is as it flies past our planet- provided it does fly past it"Isaac Asimov INTRODUCTION CONFIRMED SUSPECTED NON-IMPACT ARTICLES RELATIVE SIZE OF CANADIAN METEORITE CRATERS CRATER URL REFERENCES. VIDEO PRESENTATIONS of IMPACT CRATERS/STRUCTURES Sign our Guestbook

CONFIRMED IMPACT CRATERS/STRUCTURES*

Name	Diameter (km)	Age (million years)	Morphological type	Notes	May 2013
Whitecourt	0.036	0.00113	Simple1
Barringer	1.19	0.049 ± 0.003	Simple1	Jointed
Holleford	2.35	550 ±100	Simple1	Geological dating
West Hawk	2.44	100	Simple1	Geological dating
Viewfield	2.5	190 ± 20	Simple2	Geological dating
Pingualuit	3.44	1.4 ± 0.1	Simple1
Brent	3.8	396 ± 20	Simple1
Ile Rouleau	4	<300	Central peak3	Geological dating
Wanapitei	3 to 7.5	37.2 ± 1.2	Flat floored?1
Gow	5	<250	Complex 2
Upheaval Dome	5.5	<170	Central peak4	Geological dating
Maple Creek	6	<75	Central peak5	Geological dating
Rock Elm	6	420–440	Central peak7	Ordovician Multiple Impact?	May 2013
Pilot Lake	6	445 ± 2	Complex2
Elbow	8	395 ± 25	Complex2	Geological dating
Lac La Moinerie	8	400 ± 50	Central peak1
Lac Couture	8	425 ± 25	Central peak1
Red Wing	9.1	200 ± 25	Probable Complex8	Late Triassic Multiple impact?	May 2013
Deep Bay	9.5	99 ± 4	Flat floored1	Geological dating
Eagle Butte	10	<65	Central peak2	Geological dating
Presqu'ile	24	<500	Central peak1	Geological dating
Clearwater East	26	290 ± 20	Central peak1	Possible Multiple Impact?
Mistastin	28	36.4 ± 4	Central peak basin6
Slate Islands	32	436 Ma ± 3	Central peak1	Ordovician Multiple Impact?
Clearwater West	32	290 ± 20	Peak ring1	Possible Multiple Impact?
Carswell	39	115 ± 10	Peak ring1
St. Martin	~40	219 ± 32	Central peak1	Late Triassic Multiple impact?
Montagnais	45	50.5 ± 0.76	Central peak1
Charlevoix	54	342 ± 15	Peak ring1	Elevated Earthquake Zone
Beaverhead	~100	~600	Peak ring1
Manicouagan	100	214 ± 1	Peak ring basin5	Late Triassic Multiple impact?
Sudbury	250	1852 +4/-3	Multi ring?1

¹ Dence, Michael R. Structural evidence from shock metamorphism in simple and complex impact craters: Linking observations to theory. Meteoritics & Planetary Science 39. Nr 2, 267-286 (2004).

² Grieve R.A.F., Impact structures in Canada, Geological Association of Canada, 2006.

³ Spray J.G. et al. A marine magnetic study of the Ile Rouleau impact structure, Lake Mistassini, Quebec Canada. Meteoritics, 70th Annual Meeting (2007).

⁴ Eugene M. Shoemaker, Bryan J. Kriens, Ken E. Herkenhop, GEOLOGY OF THE UPHEAVAL DOME IMPACT STRUCTURE, SOUTHEAST UTAH. Journal of Geophysical Research--Planets, April 16, 1998.

⁵ Grieve R.A.F. and Head J.W. The Manicouagan impact structure: An analysis of its original dimensions and form. Journal of Geophysical Research 88:A807-A818 (1983).

⁶ French, B.M. Traces of Catastrophe, Lunar and Planetary Institute, 1998

⁷ Cordua, W. S., "The Rock Elm Structure, Pierce County, Wisconsin, a possible cryptoexplosion structure", Geology, vol. 13, p. 372-374. 1985.

⁸Donofrio, Richard R., IMPACT CRATERS: IMPLICATIONS FOR BASEMENT HYDROCARBON PRODUCTION. Journal of Petroleum Geology, 3, 3, pp. 279-302, 1981.

SUSPECTED IMPACT CRATERS/STRUCTURES

Name	Diameter (km)	Age	Suspect Morphological type	Notes	June 2013
Merewether, Labrador	0.19812 (largest of three)	<870 years ?	Simple	Younger Drias extinction?
Bloody Creek, Nova Scotia	0.350 X 0.420	~12,000 years?	Simple	Younger Drias extinction?	June 2013
Charity Shoal, Lake Ontario	~1	?	Simple	Younger Drias extinction?
Eclipse Lake, Labrador	1.5	?	Simple - Possible flat-floored	Younger Drias extinction?
Lac de Courval, Quebec	~1.6	?	Simple	Circular lake
Franktown structure, Ontario	~2	>400 ma	Simple	Circular depression
Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba	~3.8	?	Simple	Circular magnetic anomaly
Charron Lake, Ontario	>4.5	?	Simple	Negative magnetic anomaly
Kakiattukallak Lake, Quebec	3 - 6	?	Simple	Possible Multiple Impact?
Skeleton Lake, Ontario	3.5	~800 ma	Simple	Geological dating
Panther Mountain, New York state	10	~375 ma	Central peak	Inverted relief
Can-Am, Lake Huron	100	~500 ma	Central peak	Underwater in Lake Huron
Hudson Bay Arc	>450	?	Multi ring basin?	AKA - Nastapoka Arc

NON-IMPACT CRATERS/STRUCTURES

During my aerial meteorite crater explorations over various points of the North American Continent, I have noticed and documented a few geological features that are suspiciously shaped like meteorite craters. Also, I have investigated a few that were suggested by people who have contacted me after reading my meteorite articles. I have listed below the “crater like” structures that I have documented and could be confirmed as impact related if in the future evidence is found. I will be periodically adding more features as I visit them. If you have any additional information on any of the structures that I have documented or any new possible meteorite craters, please let me know.

ARTICLES

Identifying Impact StructuresMarch 2013

RELATIVE SIZE OF CANADIAN METEORITE CRATERS/STRUCTURES

INTRODUCTION

The scientific study of impact structures began only about 50 years ago. I’m dating myself, but that was about the time my interest in impact craters started. Like any kid, I spent hours looking at the craters on the Moon through my old telescope. Would I ever get a chance to explore a crater? Well since retirement, I combined my hobbies of astronomy, geology and flying to explore impact craters and structures in North America from the air and ground. You may think that the natural geological forces on our planet would have destroyed any features of impact craters. But, in some instances, these forces have “cross sectioned” the craters to ease our study. I find the geology in these craters and structures fascinating!

This is me fulfilling a lifelong dream - standing on the rim of the Pingualuit crater!

I flew my airplane (a C177B - GOZooM) to Puerto Rico to explore a crater only to find that someone had built a radio telescope in it!

My science background plus the experience that I have gleaned from my past profession of semiconductor failure analysis has given me the incentive to document my analysis of these craters and structures. I encourage anyone to please contact me if they note any errors that I may have made in my documentation or if they have something to add. (A few of my expeditions actually resulted from suggestions made from readers of this site).

Many of the other exploration trips that I have made in GOZooM and on foot can be viewed here.

If you ever find yourself in Ottawa, please come to one of the monthly meetings of the Ottawa Centre, Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

Dr. Michael R. Dence and yours truly at a 2012 Sigma Xi Companions in Research meeting, Ottawa. Dr. Dence was prime on impact crater research within the Canadian Shield, 1961-81. He was one of the few indiviuals responsible for transforming terrestrial impact crater research into a respectable and scientific discipline of planetary science.

Dr. Ian Halliday and yours truly, Ottawa 2012. Dr. Halliday was a pioneer on impact crater research authoring several papers on the subject. His field research provided evidence in support of a meteoritic origin for West Hawk Lake, Manitoba, Canada .

Dr. Christopher Herd and yours truly at the 2012 RASC GA in Edmonton. Dr. Herd is Associate Professor, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alberta. He was prime in the confirmation of the Whitecourt Crater as an impact structure.

The "Changing Earth" section of the Dynamic Earth Museum at Science North Sudbury is presenting my images of the Manicouagan, Pingualuit (Chubb) and Barringer meteorite craters that I have documented on my expeditions. This is me with a smug look on my face beside the poster.