Wells Creek crater
| Wells Creek crater | |
|---|---|
Central Wells Creek crater in 1953 | |
| Impact crater/structure | |
| Confidence | Confirmed |
| Diameter | 12 km (7.5 mi) |
| Depth | (200 Ma: ~2,640 feet) (Today: ~550 feet) |
| Age | 200±100 Ma Mesozoic |
| Exposed | Yes |
| Drilled | Yes |
| Location | |
| Location | Cumberland City, Tennessee |
| Coordinates | 36°22′40″N 87°39′30″W / 36.37778°N 87.65833°W |
| Country | United States |
| State | Tennessee |
| Province | Houston & Stewart Counties |
Wells Creek crater Location of the crater in Tennessee Wells Creek crater Wells Creek crater (Tennessee) | |
| Access | Private |
Wells Creek is an impact crater located near Cumberland City, Tennessee. It is 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) in diameter and the age is estimated to be 200±100 Ma (million years old), placing it in the Jurassic or a neighboring period. The crater is exposed to the surface. The center of the crater contains some of the finest shatter cones in the world. Many have been collected and are on display around the world.[1]
The crater contains a central uplift where Cambro-Ordovician rocks of the Wells Creek Dolomite and Knox Group are exposed. These rocks are surrounded by concentric exposures of Ordovician, Silurian, and Devonian rocks. Beyond the uplift are Mississippian rocks of the Chattanooga Shale, Fort Payne Formation, Warsaw Limestone, and St. Louis Limestone. Radial faults are abundant in the central uplift area. Sets of concentric faults surround the central uplift and three rings of them bound the outer structure.[2]
Gallery
References
- ^ "Wells Creek". Earth Impact Database. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
- ^ Miller, R.A., Hardeman, W.D., Fullerton, D.S., Sykes, C.R., and Garman, R.K., 1966. Geologic Map of Tennessee (West Central Sheet), Tennessee Division of Geology. Scale: 1:250,000.
External links
- Geology of the Wells Creek structure, Tennessee, 1968, by C. W. Wilson, Jr., and R. G. Stearns of Tennessee Division of Geology
- Wells Creek Crater at Tennessee Landforms
- Wells Creek Impact Structure at Crater Explorer