Tunnunik impact crater
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The Tunnunik impact crater, formerly known as the ''Prince Albert Impact Crater'', is a recently confirmed meteorite impact crater. It is located on
Prince Albert Peninsula Prince Albert Peninsula is located on northwest Victoria Island in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is separated from Banks Island by the Prince of Wales Strait. Two large waterways, Richard Collinson Inlet and Minto Inlet are to the nor ...
in the northwestern part of
Victoria Island Victoria Island ( ikt, Kitlineq, italic=yes) is a large island in the Arctic Archipelago that straddles the boundary between Nunavut and the Northwest Territories of Canada. It is the List of islands by area, eighth-largest island in the world, ...
in Canada's Northwest Territories. The wide crater was discovered in 2010 by Brian Pratt, professor of
geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ea ...
at the
University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...
, and Keith Dewing of the
Geological Survey of Canada The Geological Survey of Canada (GSC; french: Commission géologique du Canada (CGC)) is a Canadian federal government agency responsible for performing geological surveys of the country, developing Canada's natural resources and protecting the e ...
during an aerial survey of the region. The crater is estimated to have formed between 130 and 350 million years ago, and may have been created when a meteor a few kilometres in diameter struck the Earth. The desert-like landscape of impact craters like Tunnunik can be useful in understanding the geology of other rocky planets such as Mars. It is Canada's 30th known meteorite impact feature.


Notes

Not to be confused with the unconfirmed Victoria Island structure in
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, United States.


References


External links


University of Saskatchewan Flickr gallery
{{Impact cratering on Earth Impact craters of the Northwest Territories Geology of the Northwest Territories Victoria Island (Canada)