Saturday, June 1, 2013

Meteor Crater, Arizona


 

I had seen this Metero Crater form an airplane and I was curious to see it in person.  It was a little out of my way and the wind in the area was worthy of noting.  The T-shirts on sale said “I survived the wind at Meteor Crater”, I was tempted to buy one. 
Fifty thousand years ago, a meteor ripped through the skies over Arizona traveling at roughly 40,000 miles an hour crashed into the surface of a high plateau. Within a few seconds, the resulting massive explosion threw millions of tons of rock over the surrounding area, opening a crater three-quarters of a mile across and 700 feet deep.  From a plane it is easy to spot because it is so big and the surround area is flat desert.  I think I could have spotted my camper from a plane in this area, it was so flat.
 
In the past there was a lot of discussion as to the origin of the hole, at first it was thought to be volcanic but now it is confirmed to be meteor created. In fact astronauts came here the study what a meteor crater looked like before going to the moon.

 
As I drove away from the campground and wind I spotted three Proghons...

 
...and they spotted me.

1 comment:

I'm delighted you've stopped by to visit and leave your comment or question. I will try to reply soon, so stop back by anytime. I would love to share thoughts with you. See ya online, Squirrel