Carswell is an
impact crater
An impact crater is a circular depression in the surface of a solid astronomical object formed by the hypervelocity impact of a smaller object. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal collapse, impact craters ...
within the
Athabasca Basin
The Athabasca Basin is a region in the Canadian Shield of northern Saskatchewan and Alberta, Canada. It is best known as the world's leading source of high-grade uranium and currently supplies about 20% of the world's uranium.
The basin i ...
of the
Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield (french: Bouclier canadien ), also called the Laurentian Plateau, is a geologic shield, a large area of exposed Precambrian igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks. It forms the North American Craton (or Laurentia), the anc ...
in northern
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...
, Canada. It is in diameter and the age is estimated to be 115 ± 10 million years (Lower
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of th ...
). The crater is exposed at the surface.
Access
The Carswell Crater can be reached by
Saskatchewan Highway 955
Highway 955 is a provincial highway in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It runs from Highway 155 near La Loche to Cluff Lake Mine. The mine has been closed since the early 2000s and its adjacent airstrip is also closed now, meaning the ...
. The gravel road begins in the village of
La Loche
La Loche () is a village in northwest Saskatchewan. It is located at the end of Highway 155 on the eastern shore of Lac La Loche in Canada's boreal forest. La Loche had a population of 2,827 in 2016 and is within the Northern Saskatchewan Admini ...
and ends at the old
Cluff Lake mine
Cluff Lake mine is decommissioned former uranium mine located in northern Saskatchewan, located 30 km east of the provincial border with Alberta and approximately 75 kilometres south of Lake Athabasca.
The mine and mill were owned and operated by ...
site within the crater. The Cluff Lake uranium mine produced over 62 million pounds of
yellowcake
Yellowcake (also called urania) is a type of uranium concentrate powder obtained from leach solutions, in an intermediate step in the processing of uranium ores. It is a step in the processing of uranium after it has been mined but before f ...
during its 22-year operating life.
Since the mine is now closed and decommissioned, there are no travel services in the vicinity and no functional airstrip. Motorists driving to the crater need to carry sufficient fuel and supplies for the round trip back to La Loche.
See also
*
Geology of Saskatchewan
The geology of Saskatchewan can be divided into two main geological regions, the Precambrian Canadian Shield and the Phanerozoic Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. Within the Precambrian shield exists the Athabasca sedimentary basin. Meteorite i ...
References
External links
Aerial exploration of the Carswell impact structure
Impact craters of Saskatchewan
Cretaceous impact craters
Division No. 18, Saskatchewan
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