Earth:Carswell crater
 In the northern part the rim is visible as a series of low hills, in the southern part it is indicated by the course of Douglas River. Carswell Lake (in the upper right) cuts into the crater. | |
| Impact crater/structure | |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 39 kilometres (24 mi) |
| Age | 115 ± 10 million years (Lower Cretaceous) |
| Exposed | Yes |
| Drilled | Yes |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | [ ⚑ ] : 58°26′26″N 109°30′24″W / 58.44056°N 109.50667°W |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Saskatchewan |
  Carswell crater Location of Carswell crater in Saskatchewan | |
| Topo map | NTS Script error: No such module "Canada NTS"., Script error: No such module "Canada NTS". |
| Access | Saskatchewan Highway 955 |
Carswell is an impact structure within the Athabasca Basin of the Canadian Shield in northern Saskatchewan, Canada.[1] It is 39 kilometres (24 mi) in diameter and the age is estimated to be 115 ± 10 million years (Lower Cretaceous). The crater is exposed at the surface.
The central peak complex of faulted metamorphic rocks displays shatter cones, planar deformation features, pseudotachylyte veins, and impact melts and breccias. There is also evidence of planar deformation features in quartz grains far to the south of the outer ring of present-day hills, which suggests the ring of hills are not the rim of the crater but a peak ring within a much larger crater. The Carswell Formation, composed of algal limestone, may have formed on seamounts elevated to near the surface as part of the peak ring.[2]
Access
The Carswell Crater can be reached by Saskatchewan Highway 955. The 245 kilometres (152 mi) gravel road begins in the village of La Loche and ends at the old Cluff Lake mine site within the crater. The Cluff Lake uranium mine produced over 62 million pounds of yellowcake during its 22-year operating life.[3] Since the mine is now closed and decommissioned, there are no travel services in the vicinity and no functional airstrip. Motorists driving to the crater need to carry sufficient fuel and supplies for the round trip back to La Loche.
See also
- Geology of Saskatchewan
References
- ↑ "Carswell". Earth Impact Database. Planetary and Space Science Centre University of New Brunswick Fredericton. http://www.passc.net/EarthImpactDatabase/New%20website_05-2018/Carswell.html. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Genest, S., Robert, F., and Duhamel, I., 2010, The Carswell impact event, Saskatchewan, Canada: Evidence for a pre-Athabasca multiring basin?, in Gibson, R.L., and Reimold, W.U., eds., Large Meteorite Impacts and Planetary Evolution IV: Geological Society of America Special Paper 465, p. 543–570, doi:10.1130/2010.2465(26).
- ↑ "Comprehensive Study Report - Cluff Lake Decommissioning Project". Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. December 2003. http://www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca/41B79974-docs/report_e.pdf.
External links
Template:Saskatchewan parksNote: This topic belongs to "Geology" portal
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