Araguainha Impact Crater
| geology, astrobleme, natural monument
Brazil /
Mato Grosso /
Alto Araguaia /
World
/ Brazil
/ Mato Grosso
/ Alto Araguaia
World / Brazil / Mato Grosso / Araguainha
geology, astrobleme, natural monument
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The Araguainha Crater or Araguainha Dome is an impact crater on the border of Mato Grosso and Goiás states, Brazil, between the villages of Araguainha and Ponte Branca. With a diameter of 40 kilometres (25 mi), it is the second largest known impact crater in South America, and possibly the oldest one.
The crater was formed 244.40 ± 3.25 million years ago in the Triassic period, when the region was probably a shallow sea. The date is actually quite close to the Permian/Triassic boundary, one of the largest mass extinction events in Earth's history. The impact punched through Paleozoic sedimentary units belonging to the Paraná Basin formations, and exposed the underlying Ordovician granite basement rocks. It is estimated that the crater was initially 24 kilometres (15 mi) wide and 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi) deep, which then widened to 40 kilometres (25 mi) as its walls subsided inwards.
The crater was formed 244.40 ± 3.25 million years ago in the Triassic period, when the region was probably a shallow sea. The date is actually quite close to the Permian/Triassic boundary, one of the largest mass extinction events in Earth's history. The impact punched through Paleozoic sedimentary units belonging to the Paraná Basin formations, and exposed the underlying Ordovician granite basement rocks. It is estimated that the crater was initially 24 kilometres (15 mi) wide and 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi) deep, which then widened to 40 kilometres (25 mi) as its walls subsided inwards.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araguainha_crater
Nearby cities:
Coordinates: 16°48'51"S 52°59'23"W
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