160 Known Terrestrial Impact Craters!

With the fly by of the asteroid Toutatis last week, it might interest some members that 160 known impact craters, ranging in size from 0-4 km to 100-240 km in diameter, has been identified on Earth.

Many of these only have been identified in aerial and satellite photos. The older ones tend to be larger and erosion has taken its toll. What's amazing is, the 160 known impact craters, is on land or close to land except one at the Artic Ocean, Norway and Finland.

My guess would be that if 160 craters have been identified and they're on land, and since the world is covered with oceans over 2/3 of it's surface, wouldn't it be safe to say that the oceans have been hit by comets and asteroids at least 320 times bring the total to 480 impacts that could be identifiable if the ocean could tell us it's secrets?

Here is a detailed world map of the known craters. One is near Washington D.C.

www.lpi.usra.edu...

Here is an introduction to a site that has pictures of craters that may be near any one that's a member here at ATS. You'll have to go to the slide show though for the pictures.

www.lpi.usra.edu...

Any members live near any of them? They're all over the place.

No, there are no meteoric craters in Portugal that I know of.

There is one in the A�ores (Azores in English), but is vulcanic.

The closest meteoric crater appears to be the one in Spain.

www.somerikko.net...


Even Finland has 11 craters, last was found about year ago... by two amateur astronomers.



www.somerikko.net...

[edit on 9-10-2004 by E_T]