The Sierra Madera crater is a meteorite crater (astrobleme) in southwestern Pecos County, Texas, United States.[1] The central peak of the rebound structure of the impact crater rises 793 ft (242 m) above the surrounding land.[3] The peak is visible from U.S. Highway 385 between Fort Stockton, Texas and Marathon, Texas. The Sierra Madera crater is located on private property on the La Escalera Ranch.
It is 13 km (8 mi) in diameter and the age is estimated to be less than 100 million years (Cretaceous or younger).[1]
Apollo 17's Gene Cernan and Jack Schmitt did some of their geological training here.[4]
See also
- Odessa Meteor Crater
- Marquez crater
- Barringer Meteor Crater, Arizona
- Trans-Pecos
- Pecos River
- Llano Estacado
References
- ^ a b c "SierraMadera". Earth Impact Database. Planetary and Space Science Centre University of New Brunswick Fredericton. Retrieved 2016-12-10.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Sierra Madera
- ^ Sierra Madera from the Handbook of Texas Online
- ^ Phinney, William (2015). Science Training History of the Apollo Astronauts. NASA SP -2015-626. pp. 251–252.
External links
- Geology of the Sierra Madera cryptoexplosion structure, Pecos County, Texas, Professional Paper 599- H, By: H.G. Wilshire, T.W. Offield, K.A. Howard, and David Cummings. 1972.
- Sierra Madera astrobleme, Center for Energy and Economic Diversification (CEED), University of Texas of the Permian Basin
- La Escalera Ranch - site of Sierra Madera crater
- Sierra Madera astrobleme, Sibley Nature Center, Midland, Texas
- Sierra Madera Meteor Crater photos by Phil Stuart
- Photos of West Texas and the Llano Estacado
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