I think it looks elliptical in that Google picture because of the perspective of the image. To my eye when viewed from directly above it is more like a square with rounded corners.
By the way does anyone know what that 100m diameter circular structure is, located at 0.85 km to the SSW of the southern crater rim? Looks manmade but what is it? John On 10/09/2010 12:59, "Meteorites USA" <[email protected]> wrote: >Hi Sterling, Thanks for the answer, and links. > >Still have a question though. I'm more curious about the angle of >descent. The paper mentions an angle of 45 degrees. > >This seems like a very "safe" guess. Are there any data, or information >on the angle of descent other than in the paper you provided a link to. > >See this crater photo from Google Earth: >http://www.mhcmagazine.com/images/crater.jpg > >The crater is not perfectly round as would be expected from an impactor >coming in at a sharper angle.In fact the crater is more elliptical in >shape. It appears as if the impactor hit at an angle quite a bit >shallower than 45 degrees. > >Is it possible the impactor came in at a shallower angle? > >Regards, >Eric > > >On 9/10/2010 1:34 AM, Sterling K. Webb wrote: >> Eric, List, >> >> That is the conclusion of the 2005 paper in "Nature" by >> Melosh and Collins. Their computer models suggest it >> fragmented and came in as a swarm of pieces, much >> slowed by the atmosphere. >> >> Here's two popular articles: >> >>http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/03/0310_050310_meteorcrater. >>html >> >> and >> http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=2965 >> >> Here's original paper: >> >>http://amcg.ese.ic.ac.uk/~gsc/publications/articles/download/article7.pdf >> >> Well, one page from Nature, Vol. 434, 10 March, 2005. >> >> >> >> Sterling K. Webb >> >>------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>-------- >> >> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Meteorites USA" >> <[email protected]> >> To: "Meteorite-list" <[email protected]> >> Sent: Thursday, September 09, 2010 10:44 AM >> Subject: [meteorite-list] Meteor Crater Impactor? >> >> >>> Hi List, >>> >>> Can someone tell me the proposed/accepted angle of descent of the >>> asteroid which formed Meteor Crater in AZ? >>> >>> Wikipedia has the impactor at 50 meters across, and velocity at 12.8 >>> km/s. Is this accurate? >>> >>> Eric >>> ______________________________________________ >>> Visit the Archives at >>> http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html >>> Meteorite-list mailing list >>> [email protected] >>> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list >> >> >______________________________________________ >Visit the Archives at >http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html >Meteorite-list mailing list >[email protected] >http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list > ______________________________________________ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list [email protected] http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
