![Crater sign 2004](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Crater_sign_2004.jpg)
The Odessa Meteor Crater is a
meteorite
A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or Natural satellite, moon. When the ...
crater
Crater may refer to:
Landforms
*Impact crater, a depression caused by two celestial bodies impacting each other, such as a meteorite hitting a planet
*Explosion crater, a hole formed in the ground produced by an explosion near or below the surfac ...
in the southwestern part of
Ector County
Ector County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In the 2020 census, its population was 165,171. Its county seat is Odessa. The county was founded in 1887 and organized in 1891. It is named for Mathew Ector, a Confederate genera ...
, southwest of the city of
Odessa
Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...
of
West Texas
West Texas is a loosely defined region in the U.S. state of Texas, generally encompassing the arid and semiarid lands west of a line drawn between the cities of Wichita Falls, Abilene, and Del Rio.
No consensus exists on the boundary betwee ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. It is accessible approximately south of
Interstate 20
Interstate 20 (I‑20) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I-20 runs beginning at an interchange with Interstate 10, I-10 in Scroggins Draw, Texas, and ending at an interchange with Interstate 95, I-95 in Flo ...
at Exit 108 (Moss Road).
[ This is one of three impact crater sites found in Texas, the others being the older and much larger ]Sierra Madera crater
Sierra Madera crater is a meteorite crater (astrobleme) in southwestern Pecos County, Texas, United States. The central peak of the rebound structure of the impact crater rises above the surrounding land. The peak is visible from U.S. Highway ...
and the Marquez crater
Marquez crater is a meteorite crater located in Leon County, Texas near the small town of Marquez about northeast of Austin, Texas, United States.
It is in diameter and the age is estimated to be 58 ± 2 million years (Paleocene). The crate ...
.
The ''Handbook of Texas Online
The ''Handbook of Texas'' is a comprehensive encyclopedia
An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular ...
'' describes the Odessa meteor crater as the largest of several smaller craters in the immediate area that were formed by the impact of thousands of octahedrite
Octahedrites are the most common structural class of iron meteorites. The structures occur because the meteoric iron has a certain nickel concentration that leads to the exsolution of kamacite out of taenite while cooling.
Structure
Octahedri ...
s (an iron metallic type) that fell in prehistoric times.
The web site of the University of Texas of the Permian Basin
The University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) is a public university in Odessa, Texas. It is part of the University of Texas System. UTPB was authorized by the Texas Legislature in 1969 and founded in 1973. UTPB is now home to over 7,000 student ...
(UTPB, Center for Energy and Economic Diversification), identifies five craters at the Odessa site and shows a distribution map of the meteorite fragments recovered from the area. The recoveries have generally come from an area to the north and northwest of the main crater site, with only a few found to the south. They indicate that the structure of the main crater, because it was one of the earliest to be recognized and studied, is now used to name similar impact sites on a worldwide basis. Over 1500 meteorites have been recovered from the surrounding area over the years, the largest of which weighed approximately , but excavations in the main crater confirm that there is no meteorite mass underground and probably never has been. The site has been designated as a National Natural Landmark
The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best ...
by the National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...
, and a small information area and nature trail has been set up on-site for a self-guided tour.
It is in diameter
In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints lie on the circle. It can also be defined as the longest chord of the circle. Both definitions are also valid for ...
and the age is estimated to be around 63,500 years (Pleistocene
The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...
or younger). The crater is exposed to the surface, and was originally about deep. Because of subsequent infilling by soil and debris, the crater is currently deep at its lowest point, which provides enough relief to be visible over the surrounding plains, but does not offer the dramatic relief found at the more famous Meteor Crater
Meteor Crater, or Barringer Crater, is a meteorite impact crater about east of Flagstaff and west of Winslow in the desert of northern Arizona, United States. The site had several earlier names, and fragments of the meteorite are official ...
in Arizona.
The crater itself and the museum curator, Tom Rodman, were featured in the June 1, 2013 broadcast of Bob Phillips
Robert Leon Phillips, known as Bob Phillips (born June 23, 1951), is an American television journalist best known for his long-running program ''Texas Country Reporter''. In 2005, Phillips was inducted into the Silver Circle of the Lone Star Ch ...
's syndicated television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
''Texas Country Reporter
''Texas Country Reporter'' is a weekly syndicated television program, hosted and produced by Bob Phillips and Kelli Phillips, which airs in all twenty-two Texas media markets, generally on weekends, and nationally on the satellite/cable channel ...
''.
See also
*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 ...
* List of impact craters in North America
*Marquez crater
Marquez crater is a meteorite crater located in Leon County, Texas near the small town of Marquez about northeast of Austin, Texas, United States.
It is in diameter and the age is estimated to be 58 ± 2 million years (Paleocene). The crate ...
*Meteor Crater
Meteor Crater, or Barringer Crater, is a meteorite impact crater about east of Flagstaff and west of Winslow in the desert of northern Arizona, United States. The site had several earlier names, and fragments of the meteorite are official ...
*Monahans Sandhills State Park
The Monahans Sandhills State Park is a state park located in the southern Llano Estacado in Ward County and Winkler County, Texas. The closest major town is Monahans, Texas, and the closest limited-access highway ingress is Exit 86 on Interstat ...
*Sierra Madera crater
Sierra Madera crater is a meteorite crater (astrobleme) in southwestern Pecos County, Texas, United States. The central peak of the rebound structure of the impact crater rises above the surrounding land. The peak is visible from U.S. Highway ...
References
External links
Odessa Meteor Crater and Museum website
UTPB Center for Energy and Economic Diversifications, Odessa Meteor Craters
Video of the main crater site.
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Protected areas of Ector County, Texas
Geology museums in the United States
Impact craters of the United States
Museums in Ector County, Texas
Natural history museums in Texas
Pleistocene impact craters
Landforms of Ector County, Texas
National Natural Landmarks in Texas