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Meteor Crater, Arizona, United States

11. Meteor Crater, Arizona, United States

This shuttle image encompasses an area of approximately 3,600 square kilometers within the semi-arid high plains east of Flagstaff, Arizona, and illustrates how conspicuous the 1.2-kilometer-diameter Meteor Crater is from space. The mid-morning Sun is illuminating the western rim of the crater, while the eastern rim is in shadow. The ejecta blanket is visible as a pale halo surrounding the crater and contrasts markedly with the darker sedimentary rocks of the high plains. The Little Colorado River is visible in the upper right. The arcuate line extending across the image just north of the crater is Interstate 40. Immediately to the left of the crater is Canyon Diablo. The dark, irregular features located southeast of the crater are basaltic flows that have been deposited onto the sedimentary rocks of the Colorado Plateau during the last few million years.

Space shuttle image STS040-614-058.

Location: 35°02'N, 111°01'W
Rim diameter: 1.2 kilometers
Age: 49,000 ± 3000 years

Right click here to download a high-resolution version of the image (8.51 MB)


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