Latest news with #MeteorCrater
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
America's Largest Crater Has Surprise Link to Grand Canyon, Study Finds
Two of Arizona's most famous landmarks may be linked by cosmic violence: the asteroid that gouged out Meteor Crater may have also caused the formation of an ancient lake in the Grand Canyon. This surprising connection between Arizona's world-renowned geological features stretches back 56,000 years, to when a 300,000 ton nickel-iron asteroid slammed into the Colorado Plateau with the force of over 150 atomic bombs, creating the largest meteor crater in the United States. The resultant impact-generated earthquake may have caused a rockslide in the Grand Canyon, damming the Colorado River and temporarily creating a body of water 80 kilometers (50 miles) long and more than 100 meters (around 370 feet) deep in what is today Nankoweap canyon. Related: Meteor Crater (also known as Barringer Meteor Crater) is a relatively young and exceptionally well-preserved crater just west of the city of Winslow, Arizona. The asteroid that produced it may have been only 30 to 50 meters across, but the impact excavated 175 million metric tons of limestone and sandstone, forming a crater 1.2 kilometers across and about 180 meters deep. Today, such an impact would wipe out an urban center the size of Kansas City. The newly released study encompasses more than five decades of research, an international team of collaborators, and an evolution of scientific dating techniques. The evidence for the Nankoweap paleolake hinges on driftwood and lake sediments found in Stanton's Cave, which is situated almost 45 meters above the Colorado River. Carrying the driftwood up to the cave "required a 10 times bigger flood level than any flood that has happened in the past several thousand years," says Karl Karlstrom, a geologist at the University of New Mexico and co-lead author of the study. The Stanton Cave driftwood was initially collected in 1970 and radiocarbon dated in the 1980s, suggesting it was around 44,000 years old – a figure that was at the limit of radiocarbon testing at that time. Additional driftwood samples were later collected from another high alcove, situated 33 meters above the Colorado River and a few kilometers downstream of Stanton's Cave. The two separate driftwood samples were independently dated, using different techniques, at different labs. The researchers also analyzed the lake sediments using luminescence dating, which measures the energy of light emitted by a certain material. This separate dating method, distinct from radiocarbon dating, provided "statistically indistinguishable" dates for the driftwood samples and sediments, converging to 55,600 years ago. Additionally, researchers found ancient evidence of a natural dam about 35 kilometers downstream of Stanton's Cave. In places, this ancient dam material is overlain with rounded river cobbles that were deposited as the Colorado River overtopped the dam across a span of about 1,000 years. Overall, the coinciding dates of the impact, landslide, driftwood, and lake sediments support the idea that the Nankoweap paleolake was formed by a seismic event generated by an asteroid traveling with a cosmic velocity of over 11 kilometers per second, producing a 10-15 megaton event upon impact. The resulting 5.4 magnitude earthquake traveled the 100 miles to the Grand Canyon in seconds, where it hit with an effective magnitude of 3.5 and caused a landslide that dammed the Colorado River and formed the Nankoweap paleolake. The researchers do acknowledge the possibilities that the Nankoweap paleolake was the result of a natural landslide, or an unrelated earthquake. "Nevertheless, the meteorite impact, the massive landslide, the lake deposits, and the driftwood high above river level are all rare and unusual occurrences" whose ages converge on a narrow slice of time around 55,600 years ago, concludes Karlstrom. This research is published in the journal Geology. Related News 500-Million-Year-Old Fossil Suggests Ocean Origin For Spiders Secret Bone Armor Discovered Beneath Skins of Australian Lizards Many Butterflies Have a Second 'Head' – This Could Be Why Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
A meteor may have led to the formation of the Grand Canyon, new study says
A meteor may have led to the formation of the Grand Canyon, a new study has found. While many Americans are familiar with the Grand Canyon's beauty and uniqueness, they may not be aware of the story behind its formation. The Colorado River may have etched the canyon one mile deep, as rocky debris transported in floods did most of the carving, according to the Grand Canyon Conservancy. But what caused the flooding? A study published in Geology on Tuesday tied another Arizona landmark, the Meteor Crater, to the formation of the Grand Canyon. A meteor may have led to the formation of the Grand Canyon, a new study has found (Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images) The study hypothesized the Meteor Crater, which was formed 56,000 years ago, triggered landslides in the Grand Canyon that blocked the Colorado River and formed a paleolake — a lake that has existed in the past— in the canyon. Geologists have long wondered how and when driftwood found in Stanton's Cave in the Grand Canyon got there, as the mouth of the cave is 150 feet above the river. There are also lake sediments found in the cave. "It would have required a 10-times bigger flood level than any flood that has happened in the past several thousand years,' one of the study's authors, University of New Mexico Distinguished Professor Emeritus Karl Karlstrom, said in a press release Tuesday. He continued: 'Or maybe they are very old deposits left as the river carved down, or maybe they floated in from a paleolake caused by a downstream lava dam or landslide dam? We needed to know the age of the cave deposits.' A study published Tuesday tied the Meteor Crater to the formation of the Grand Canyon (Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images) The study hypothesized the Meteor Crater, which was formed 56,000 years ago, triggered landslides in the Grand Canyon that blocked the Colorado River and formed a paleolake, in other words, a former lake, in the canyon () The study found the driftwood to be 56,000 years old, the same geologic age as the asteroid impact and the landslide dam. Researchers suggested because the landslide appears to have the same age as Meteor Crater, the asteroid impact blast caused the landslide. The paleolake formed from the landslide, which dammed the Colorado River. Caves, such as Stanton's Cave, were flooded by the paleolake.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Giant 196-foot-wide killer asteroid could strike Earth in 2032, experts warn
A giant space rock is on a potential collision course with Earth in 2032. Dubbed 2024 YR4, this asteroid poses a small but concerning threat to Earth. It is estimated to be 196 feet (60 meters) wide, roughly half the length of a football field. reported that this near-Earth object (NEO) has a "1 in 83" chance of hitting our planet on December 22, 2032. This asteroid presents one of the highest risks of impact ever observed for an object of this size. According to NASA's Center of NEO Studies (CNEOS), the asteroid is projected to fly within 66,000 miles (106,200 kilometers) of Earth on this date. It is currently located 27 million miles away from Earth. The asteroid 2024 YR4 was first spotted by telescopes in Rio Hurtado, Chile, under the ATLAS project. Despite the initial estimate of a close approach, uncertainties remain in the asteroid's orbital path. These uncertainties raise the possibility that the calculated close encounter could, in fact, result in a direct impact on Earth. Due to its collision risk, the asteroid 2024 YR4 has been elevated to the top of both the European Space Agency's and NASA's impact risk lists. The asteroid has been assigned a rating of three on the Torino risk scale. This rating signifies a close encounter that demands active monitoring by astronomers due to its greater than 1% chance of a potential impact. However, astronomers are urging people not to worry yet. 'Impact probability is still very low, and the most likely outcome will be a close approaching rock that misses us," David Rankin, Catalina Sky Survey engineer and asteroid hunter, told Rankin suggests that asteroid 2024 YR4 is likely comparable in size to the objects responsible for the 1908 Tunguska event and the Meteor Crater. If it does hit Earth, it could potentially cause a powerful explosion high in the atmosphere, known as an "airburst." In addition, it could create a large crater upon impact with the ground. The impact effects are anticipated to be more localized than widespread. Reportedly, the current predicted impact zone, or "risk corridor," extends from South America across the Atlantic Ocean and reaches South Africa. Experts highlight that the asteroid's orbit is still poorly understood, making a definitive prediction of impact impossible. The current impact probability is low, and a miss is the most likely scenario. "This impact corridor estimation will eventually go stale with new observations and better orbit calculations," he informed The potential damage is highly dependent on the asteroid's characteristics, like size and composition. However, these remain uncertain at the moment due to the asteroid's current trajectory. Radar observations, the most effective method for size estimation, are currently impossible. Astronomers anticipate an opportunity to better estimate the asteroid's characteristics in 2028. Around this time, the asteroid is expected to make a closer, less risky approach to Earth, passing within roughly 5 million miles (8 million kilometers). For now, astronomers are keeping a close eye on the 2024 YR4 asteroid.
