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Chapter 1: Cosmology and the Earth

Geotours

Download Geotours.

Getting Started :

If you haven’t done it already, download Google Earth™ and install it on your computer.
If you haven’t done it already, download the Geotours.kmz file and save a copy to your desktop. (The Geotours.kmz file contains the Geotours for all chapters, so you only need to download this once!)
By downloading Geotours.kmz you acknowledge that it was created solely to accompany Steve Marshak's Earth: Portrait of a Planet and Essentials of Geology and is limited to use with only Steve Marshak's Earth: Portrait of a Planet and Essentials of Geology and may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means for any other purpose without the written permission of the publisher.
Double-click the Geotours.kmz file and Google Earth™ will open automatically.
In the left-hand sidebar you will see a Places menu, and in the Temporary Places folder you will see an EARTH_3e.kmz file. Double-click the file and you will see a list of Geotours for each chapter.
Then open the Geotour folder you want to explore! If you’d like to read more about the features of Geotours see Using Geotours, or go to our Helpful Resources section.

STOPS ON GEOTOUR 1: Meteorite Impact Sites on Earth

Barringer Crater, Arizona ™
- See also Worksheet Problem 1
- “What a Geologist Sees” Geofeatures: Uplifted Rim, Debris, Impact Crater, and Impact Model
Manicouagan Crater, Quebec, Canada
- See also Worksheet Problems 2–3
Chesapeake Bay Crater, Maryland
Worksheet Bonus: Upheaval Dome, Utah
- See Worksheet Problem 4

GEOTOUR 1 WORKSHEET

Look at the surface of our Moon or that of Mars. You will find that the surfaces of the bodies are covered with craters, circular depressions formed during impact. On Earth, relatively few craters pockmark the surface, but there are still some visible, as you can now see for yourself.

Barringer Crater, Arizona

1. Double-click and check the box next to the first placemark labeled Problem 1 in Google Earth™, then check the box next to the second Problem 1 placemark. Use the Measuring Tool to measure the present-day width of Barringer Crater between the two placemarks.

(a) What is the diameter of the crater (km)?

(b) Does the crater have the same dimensions in all directions (i.e., is it a perfect circle)?

(c) Using the Hand Tool, determine the elevation of the center of the crater and of the rim (m). How deep is the crater (m)?

(d) Zoom up to about 80 km and find the city of Flagstaff, about 59 km WNW of the crater. Then, zoom down to about 6 km to get a better view. How does the crater diameter compare to the E–W width of downtown Flagstaff? (Downtown is north of Highway 89.)

Manicouagan Crater, Quebec, Canada

2. Double-click and check the box next to one of the two placemarks labeled Problem 2 in Google EarthTM. Use the Measuring Tool to measure the present-day diameter of Manicouagan Crater (defined as the outer edge of the lake) between the placemarks.

(a) What is the present-day diameter of the crater (km)?

(b) Using the Hand Tool, measure the elevation difference between the center and crater rim (m). How deep is the crater (m)?

(c) The present-day Manicouagan Crater is not as deep as Barringer Crater, but it is much wider. Why? (Hint: Keep in mind the ages of the craters.)

(d) Now, zoom out to about 1,600 km, and find New York City (about 1,250 km SW of the crater). How does the crater size compare to the length of Manhattan Island?

(e) With this in mind, what would be the consequence of a similar-sized impact at the site of New York today?

3. (a) Assuming that a 50-m-diameter meteorite created the 1.5-km-wide Barringer Crater, estimate the size of the meteorite (in m) that might have created Manicouagan Crater. (Hint: Set up a ratio using the values provided in this problem.)

(b) On your computer, go to the Earth Impact Effects Program website at: http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/impacteffects/ This site provides a more sophisticated version of the calculation—it determines the consequences of an impact as a function of the size, velocity, and composition of the meteorite. Enter the meteorite size that you estimated for Manicouagan, and assume that the impact occurred on crystalline rock and that the impact angle was 45°. By what percentage does the crater size change if you switch the meteorite composition from ice (as in a comet) to iron (as in certain types of asteroids)?

4. Double-click and check the box next to the placemarks labeled Problem 4 in Google EarthTM. You will fly to the Upheaval Dome, which is located within Canyonlands National Park in Utah. This controversial structure is interpreted by geoscientists as both an impact structure and as a dome-shaped structure related to the subsurface rise of salt. Fly around Upheaval Dome and cite evidence supporting an impact structure origin. Using the Measuring Tool and the ratio method outlined in Problem 3a, estimate the size of a meteorite (in m) that might have caused Upheaval Dome.

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StudySpace: Chemistry 2e.