Tenoumer crater
Impact crater/structure
ConfidenceConfirmed
Diameter1.9 km (1.2 mi)
Depth
  • 110 m (360 ft) (currently exposed)
  • 300 to 400 m (980 to 1,310 ft) (originally)
Age21,400 ± 9,700
Location
Coordinates22°55′5″N 10°24′27″W / 22.91806°N 10.40750°W / 22.91806; -10.40750
CountryMauritania
Tenoumer crater is located in Africa
Tenoumer crater
Tenoumer crater
Asteroid impact location in Africa

Tenoumer is considered to be an impact crater in Mauritania.[1]

Details

The crater is located in the western Sahara Desert. It is 1.9 km (1.2 mi) in diameter and its age was estimated to be 21,400 ± 9,700 years old but as of 2016, is thought to be ~1.57 Ma.[2]

The crater is exposed at the surface and is nearly circular. Edges of the crater rise up to 110 m (360 ft) high above the base of the crater, but the bottom of the crater is covered with an approximately 200 to 300 m (660 to 980 ft) thick layer of sediments.[3]

Tenoumer crater has formed in gneiss and granite of Precambrian peneplain with a thin layer of Pliocene sediments (no older). The crater is believed to be caused by an impact event due to basement rocks found outside the crater. A volcanic origin was once theorized because of the discovery of basalt and rhyodacite outside of the crater basin,[4] but current evidence clearly indicates an impact origin.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Tenoumer". Earth Impact Database. Planetary and Space Science Centre University of New Brunswick Fredericton. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
  2. ↑ Schultze, Dina Simona; Jourdan, Fred; Hecht, Lutz; Reimold, Wolf Uwe; Ralf-Thomas, Schmitt (2016). "Tenoumer impact crater, Mauritania: Impact melt genesis from a lithologically diverse target" (PDF). Meteoritics and Planetary Science. The Meteoritical Society. 51 (2): 323–350. Bibcode:2016M&PS...51..323S. doi:10.1111/maps.12593.
  3. ↑ "Tenoumer Crater, Mauritania". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  4. ↑ METEORITE OR VOLCANO?
  5. ↑ Brügge, Norbert. "The "impact" craters of Mauritania: Aouelloul, Tenoumer, Temimichat and El Mrayer". Archived from the original on 2010-02-23.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.