Meteor Crater
Just a fraction of the size
The other side
Meteor Crater is the result of a collision between a piece of an asteroid traveling at 26,000 miles per hour and planet Earth approximately 50,000 years ago. A force greater than 20 million tons of TNT throwing more than 175 million tons of earth and rock out. Today, Meteor Crater is nearly one mile across, 2.4 miles in circumference and more than 550 feet deep. To put the size into perspective they give the example that the crater can hold 20 professional football games on the floor (all at the same time) while 2 million spectators lined the crater walls. Although far from the largest crater, this site is known to be the best preserved meteorite impact site on the planet and the site where scientists proved that some craters on the planet were formed by meteor strikes, not just volcanoes.
1400 lb piece of meteor found near the crater
I paid my entrance fee ($16… ooof!) and strolled along their Discovery Center while I waited for the every-half-hour movie. The center explained a lot about meteor strikes and the research that went on for decades in this crater. It even had a simulator where I could create my own meteor impact and it would show it on a computer screen. Of course I went for the Earth-killer size… ka-boom!
Research center at the bottom of the crater
I decided to skip the guided tour as it was a full hour (must commit to the entire hour) over only a half-mile trail along a portion of the rim. This normally would be exciting, but the thought of spending a full hour with the two-dozen elderly folks… walking at their pace… didn’t sound too exciting. So, I exited out the other door to get my view of the crater.
It turns out that I still spent about an hour out there, but doing my own thing and at my own pace. I even talked with another couple who were traveling around Arizona on their final day in the state before going back to Florida. I realized then, that I hadn’t talked to another person, other than passing hello’s and good-bye’s, in 8 days. It was nice to hold a conversation for a change.
