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Piccaninny crater is an impact structure, the eroded remnant of a former
Later ground examination by E.M. and C.S. Shoemaker confirmed the presence of types of deformation confirming an impact origin.PDF
br/> The circular topographic feature is 7 km in diameter, although due to the amount of erosion the original crater may have been larger. It has been estimated that the present land surface is 1–2 km below the original crater floor. The impact event has not been dated, and must be younger than the Devonian age of the rocks in the area, but is clearly not recent because of the amount of erosion.
Piccaninny crater is an impact structure, the eroded remnant of a former 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 crater ...
, situated in northern Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
in the Kimberley region. It was named after Piccaninny Creek and lies within the Purnululu (Bungle Bungle) National Park.
Description
The site is marked by a circular topographic feature on top of the flat-toppedsandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...
and conglomerate Bungle Bungle Range, clearly visible on remotely sensed images.https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Australia&ie=UTF8&om=1&z=12&ll=-17.421408,128.444939&spn=0.128409,0.342636&t=k Google Maps image When first reported in 1983 after aerial observation, it was interpreted as either an impact structure or a cryptovolcanic feature.GSWA download searchLater ground examination by E.M. and C.S. Shoemaker confirmed the presence of types of deformation confirming an impact origin.PDF
br/> The circular topographic feature is 7 km in diameter, although due to the amount of erosion the original crater may have been larger. It has been estimated that the present land surface is 1–2 km below the original crater floor. The impact event has not been dated, and must be younger than the Devonian age of the rocks in the area, but is clearly not recent because of the amount of erosion.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Piccaninny Crater Impact craters of Western Australia Kimberley (Western Australia)