Thanx Ron as always...well, there you go Tom...a meteoritic impact on Kentucky living. Must be a sign...
John > > > http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2003/09/20ky/met-5-crater0920-6646.html > > Middlesboro built in meteor crater, geologists say; town hopes to cash in > By ROGER ALFORD > Associated Press > September 20, 2003 > > MIDDLESBORO, Ky. - An Eastern Kentucky town that has > been struggling through economic decline is hoping that an > out-of-this-world attraction can help turn things around. > > State geologists have concluded that Middlesboro was built in a meteor > crater, and local officials are confident that the discovery will pay huge > dividends in tourism dollars. > > William M. Andrews Jr., a geologist with the Kentucky Geological > Survey, said erosion and vegetation have hidden most signs of the > meteor's impact. Enough evidence remains, however, to support the > conclusion, he said. > > "You have the round shape, shattered rock in the middle and deformed > rocks around the sides that have been bent, folded or shoved," Andrews > said. "That's pretty strong evidence that it was a meteor impact crater." > > It's enough to excite local tourism officials, who are hoping people will > come from across the nation to visit the town. They're now promoting > Middlesboro as the only town in America built inside a meteor crater. > > "We're trying to get the word out," said Judy Barton, director of the Bell > County Tourism Commission. "This is just another jewel in our crown." > > Middlesboro, historically dependent on the mining industry, has been in > decline for decades, suffering alongside coal operators. Mines have shut > down, shops have closed and workers have hit unemployment lines. > With no upturn in sight, local leaders have been trying to bolster the > tourism economy. > > Barton said more than a million people already come to Middlesboro each > year to visit Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, which is home of > the famed mountain pass through which settlers traveled into the > nation's midsection in the late 1700s. > > Tourists can walk the footsteps of the famous frontiersman Daniel > Boone, who led the way through Cumberland Gap for a flood of settlers > to come into Kentucky and beyond. > > Nearby is the Lost Squadron Museum, home to a World War II fighter > plane that spend a half century encapsulated in the icy heart of a glacier. > Some 20,000 people came to Middlesboro last year to see the P-38 > Lightning fly for the first time since being pulled piece by piece from > beneath 268 feet of ice and snow in Greenland. > > The plane was among six fighters and two bombers forced to crash-land > during foul weather on July 15, 1942. The crews were rescued from the > glacier, but the warplanes were left behind to be slowly buried by snow > and ice. A local restaurateur spent some $3 million to recover and rebuild > the plane. > > Barton said those two attractions keep Middlesboro-area hotels and > restaurants busy. When word spreads that people have the opportunity > to see an actual meteor crater, Barton believes tourism may skyrocket. > > In fact, more than 60 geologists arrived in town Thursday to survey the > crater and to be on hand yesterday when the Kentucky Society of > Professional Geologists declared the city a distinguished geological site. > > Andrews said geologists who have visited Middlesboro are confident that > the valley is a crater. > > "Middlesboro is in this strangely round valley in the middle of Appalachia," > he said. "You don't get round valleys here. It's not normal." > > While the shape of the valley initially drew the interest of geologists, > they soon found stronger evidence. Andrews said rocks were found near > the center of the basin in 1966 that were so shattered that something out > of this world had to have occurred. The theory is that a meteor more than > 1,500 feet in diameter struck the earth here some 300million years ago, > creating the crater four miles in diameter. > > The crater is among those noted by the Planetary and Space Science Centre > at the University of New Brunswick, which has compiled a list of all > known meteor craters in the world. > > In Middlesboro, Andrews said, huge sections of rock have been flipped > upside down or bent into odd positions, suggesting a powerful impact. > > Tom Shattuck, who operates Wilderness Road Tours in Middlesboro, said > he routinely takes visitors up a mountainside in the national park to > an overlook where they can get a bird's eye view of the crater. > > That, Shattuck said, is an easy way to convince doubters that a meteorite > gets credit for forming the valley. Of course, he said, standing in the > middle of town and looking up at the bowl-shaped mountains may be just > as convincing. > > "It's really something to see," he said. > > ______________________________________________ > Meteorite-list mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list ______________________________________________ Meteorite-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
