Bill GreenSHOCK DISCOVERY OF HUGE METEORITE CRATER
November 13th 2008 23:12
A huge meteorite crater has been discovered ten kilometres from an old opal mining town in the far west of New South Wales. It’s an extraordinary find for the opal fields have been mined since eighteen ninety. Miners, pastoralists, tourists, and whoever has flown to the nearby airfield, have missed the two kilometre meteorite.
The town can't yet be revealed for glory hunters will be all over it like a swarm of the goats that already patrol it.
“It is amazing to me that it has never been picked up before,” says opal and gold seeker, geologist Mike Fry. “It is a stand out crater and it has never been identified or even speculated about.” Mike says it is plainly obvious from the air.
The town has been an active mining community since opal was first discovered. Opal mining fell away at the time of the First World War. Germany then was the biggest buyer of Australian opal. Given that and the war there was a shortage of men for mining. There was a resurgence in the 1960’s.
With many years experience in outback Australia, the ex-marine has walked the 2 km crater picking up pieces of fractured rock for assaying. These are presently being analysed.
Having examined the crater Mike is certain that it is older than 40 million years.
Meteors often travel at 5 km a second and on impact this meteorite released the energy of more than 1,000,000 tonnes of TNT, or the blast of two 400 kiloton nuclear bombs (give or take a kiloton or two).
Mike is satisfied that the shock fractures that surround the site are a clear indication of the meteorite’s impact.
It may be complex crater for there has been an uplifting of the centre. This has been caused by a rebound of the crust that the meteorite has punched through.
Fifty percent of the rim still exists, with one side deeply weather worn.
The town will be identified next week.
The town can't yet be revealed for glory hunters will be all over it like a swarm of the goats that already patrol it.
“It is amazing to me that it has never been picked up before,” says opal and gold seeker, geologist Mike Fry. “It is a stand out crater and it has never been identified or even speculated about.” Mike says it is plainly obvious from the air.
The town has been an active mining community since opal was first discovered. Opal mining fell away at the time of the First World War. Germany then was the biggest buyer of Australian opal. Given that and the war there was a shortage of men for mining. There was a resurgence in the 1960’s.
With many years experience in outback Australia, the ex-marine has walked the 2 km crater picking up pieces of fractured rock for assaying. These are presently being analysed.
Having examined the crater Mike is certain that it is older than 40 million years.
Meteors often travel at 5 km a second and on impact this meteorite released the energy of more than 1,000,000 tonnes of TNT, or the blast of two 400 kiloton nuclear bombs (give or take a kiloton or two).
Mike is satisfied that the shock fractures that surround the site are a clear indication of the meteorite’s impact.
It may be complex crater for there has been an uplifting of the centre. This has been caused by a rebound of the crust that the meteorite has punched through.
Fifty percent of the rim still exists, with one side deeply weather worn.
The town will be identified next week.
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