Geologist
Astrogeology Science Center
Email:
tgaither@usgs.gov
Office Phone:
928-556-7387
ORCID:
000-0003-4230-3678
Location
2255 North Gemini Drive
Flagstaff
, AZ
86001
US
Supervisor:
James A Skinner
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Point file of planetary nomenclature features and attributes
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Flynn Creek crater is a 3.8 km diameter, 360-million-year-old impact structure located in north central Tennessee, and is an invaluable terrestrial analog for the study of impact cratering dynamics. The Flynn Creek Crater Sample Collection consists of over two thousand boxes of drill core from 18 drill holes in the crater’s central uplift, floor, and rim. Impact-induced hydrothermal systems are of considerable scientific interest because they may have played a significant role in the origin and evolution of life on early Earth and produced temporary near-surface habitable environments on Mars. Between 1967 and 1979, USGS scientist Dr. David Roddy conducted a drilling program at Flynn Creek crater. The drilling...
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Meteor Crater, located in northern Arizona, is one of the best preserved and easily accessible impact sites on Earth. Scientific investigations of this crater have led to improvements in our understanding of impact mechanics, cratering dynamics, and ejecta distribution [e.g., 1-5]. In addition, this site has a rich history as a terrestrial analog that has been used for training astronauts, scientists, and engineers [e.g., 6-8]. In the 1970s Dr. David Roddy conducted a rotary drilling campaign at Meteor Crater, along the rim, flanks, and surrounding ejecta blanket [9]. This work resulted in 2,500 m of drill cuttings from 161 drill holes. The original samples were placed in sandwich-sized plastic bags with slips of...
Categories: Data;
Types: Map Service,
OGC WFS Layer,
OGC WMS Layer,
OGC WMS Service;
Tags: Arizona,
Flagstaff,
Meteor Crater,
USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC),
field sampling, All tags...
impact cratering,
rotary drilling,
sample repositories, Fewer tags
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The USGS Shoemaker collection is composed of impact crater rocks from Meteor Crater (AZ), Flynn Creek Crater (TN), Sierra Madera Crater (TX), Steinheim Crater (Germany), and several craters in Australia. Of special interest to planetary science are nine bags of fallback ejecta from the Meteor Crater interior. Also in the collection are igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks from South Africa, Australia, the San Francisco Volcanic Field, the Colorado Plateau, and many other locations throughout the U.S. The USGS Shoemaker Collection is an essential part of the legacy of Dr. Eugene Shoemaker, whose pioneering work in the 1960’s established the new field of astrogeology, including shock metamorphism studies, impact...
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Current models do not sufficiently explain target rock-projectile mixing and ejecta blanket formation for small impact craters (i.e., <2km diameter). For example, due to the size of Meteor Crater and the low-velocity at which materials were excavated from the transient crater, the extent of target rock-projectile mixing is expected to be minor. However, based on drilling notes from Dr. David Roddy and preliminary work done at the USGS, we found lithologic mixing is much more prevalent throughout the ejecta blanket. We have used the USGS Meteor Crater sample collection to investigate the internal stratigraphy and spatial distribution of impact-generated materials in the ejecta blanket to better understand cratering...
Categories: Data;
Tags: Arizona,
Meteor Crater,
Planetary Sciences,
Sedimentology,
Stratigraphy, All tags...
USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC),
geoscientificInformation,
impact cratering,
stratigraphy,
structure, Fewer tags
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