Strangways Meteorite Impact Crater - NT

  Crater

Position

DEG: -15.2 133.583298
DMS: 15º 11' 60" S 133º 34' 59.87" E
UTM: 53 L 8319060mN 347823mE
Altitude: 136.91m

Description

Address & Contact

Strangways Crater
Elsey NT 0852
Phone: N/A
Email: N/A
Web: N/A

Information

Situated 65klm east-south-east of Mataranka, comprising the area enclosed by a circle of radius 10klm centred at AMG point: 5667-`Mais`- 479191.
Strangways Crater is an unusual geological formation and one of the largest of its type known in Australia. The structure of the crater has been partly obscured over time by erosion and deposition, to the extent that its origin is disputed. There is evidence that the crater was formed by meteorite impact but this is not conclusive and it has also been suggested that it may have formed as a result of a subterranean explosion. Dispute over its origin, however, does not reduce the value of the site as a rare geological formation. The crater is not visible from the ground or from aerial photographs, as most of the formation is concealed beneath Cretaceous and Cenozoic sediments deposited over the last 136 million years. However, it appears as a prominent circular structure on geological maps of the area. The diameter of the structure is approximately 20klm, outlined by a ring of sandstone and siltstone beds of the Roper group, formed in the upper Proterozoic around 600 million years ago. In the interior of the structure are large areas of melt breccia, with features that suggest melting by extreme shock, rather than by volcanic activity. There is also a small outcrop of basement rock possibly representing the uplift of a central peak. Trace element studies indicate that the crater may have been formed by the impact of an olivine-rich achondrite (a rare type of stony meteorite). The formation is cut by Precambrian fault lines, suggesting that it is at least 600 million years old.
PlaceID78250
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Wildflowers

Weather

Closest Weather Station

Daly Waters at 28/09:00pm CST
Distance from Strangways Meteorite Impact Crater 120.21km S
TemperatureFeels LikeRel. HumidityDew PointPressureRainfallWind DirectionWind SpeedGusts
26.8°C32.3°C88%24.6°C1010.8hPa0.2mmS4km/hr
2knots
6km/hr
3knots

Closest Climatic Station

Larrimah
Distance from Strangways Meteorite Impact Crater 57.47km SW
 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean Max. °C35.334.434.033.831.729.329.431.835.137.337.936.8
Mean Min. °C24.023.722.519.816.313.012.314.118.422.224.324.5
Mean Rain mm208.2204.7156.032.38.93.82.40.73.527.865.2140.7

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