Odessa meteor crater
Coordinates: 31 ° 45 ′ 22 " N , 102 ° 28 ′ 44.1" W.
The Odessa Meteor Craters are impact craters in the southwest of the city of Odessa , Ector County , Texas , USA .
Five craters have been identified, the largest of which is almost 170 meters in diameter. The main crater was one of the first impact craters recognized and investigated. Over the years, over 1500 meteorite fragments have been found in the vicinity of the craters . They belong to the octahedrites , a group of nickel-iron meteorites . The largest piece weighed about 135 kilograms. During excavations in the main crater, no larger meteorite mass could be found. It is believed that there never was a large meteorite there. The impact events took place at most 63,500 years ago, whereby the main crater originally 30 meters deep is still about 5 meters deep today. It is designated as a national natural monument and has an information area and a nature trail.
See also
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- Meteoritical Bulletin Database; Odessa (iron)
- The online handbook of Texas; METEOR CRATER AT ODESSA
- Earth Impact Database; Odessa