Gosses Bluff crater

Gosses Bluff (Gosse's Bluff) is an impact crater in the southern Northern Territory, near the centre of Australia, about 175 km (109 mi) west of Alice Springs.cite journal
author = Milton, D.J.
coauthors = Barlow, B.C.; Brett, R.; Brown, A.R.; Glikson, A.Y.; Manwaring, E.A.; Moss, F.J.; Sedmik, E.C.E.; Van Son, J.; Young, G.A.
year = 1972
title = Gosses Bluff Impact Structure, Australia
journal = Science
volume = 175
issue = 4027
pages = 1199–1207
doi = 10.1126/science.175.4027.1199
url = http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1972Sci...175.1199M
accessdate =
pmid = 17794191] ,cite journal
author = Milton, D.J.
coauthors = Glikson, A.Y.; Brett, R.
year = 1996
title = Gosses Bluff—a latest Jurassic impact structure, central Australia. Part 1: geological structure, stratigraphy, and origin
journal = AGSO Journal of Australian Geology & Geophysics
volume = 16
issue = 4
pages = 453–486
issn =
doi =
url =
accessdate = ] It was formed by the impact of an asteroid or comet approximately 142.5 ± 0.8 million years ago,cite journal
author = Milton, D.J.
coauthors = Sutter, J.F.
year = 1987
title = Revised age for the Gosses Bluff impact structure, Northern Territory, Australia, based on Ar-40Ar-39 dating
journal = Meteoritics
volume = 22
pages = 281–289
issn =
doi =
url = http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1987Metic..22..281M
accessdate = ] in the earliest Cretaceous Period, very close to the Jurassic - Cretaceous boundary. The original crater rim has been estimated at about 22 km (13.7 Mi) in diameter, but this has been eroded away. The 5 km (3 mi) diameter, 150 m (500 ft) high crater-like feature, now exposed, is interpreded as the eroded relic of the crater's central uplift. The impact origin of this topographic feature was first proposed in the 1960s, the strongest evidence coming from the abundance of shatter cones.cite journal
author = Dietz, R.S.
year = 1967
title = Shatter Cone Orientation at Gosses Bluff Astrobleme
journal = Nature
volume = 216
issue = 5120
pages = 1082–1084
doi = 10.1038/2161082a0
url = http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v216/n5120/abs/2161082a0.html
accessdate = ]

The site is known as Tnorala to the Western Arrernte Aboriginal people, and is a sacred place. It is now located in the Tnorala Conservation Reserve. Uluru (Ayer's Rock) is about 132 miles to the southwest.

In the past the crater has been the target of petroleum exploration, and two abandoned exploration wells lies near its centre. ]

References

External links

* [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=-23.818720,132.307491&spn=0.052440,0.076484&t=k&hl=en Google Maps image]
* [http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/parks/find/tnorala.html Tnorala (Gosse Bluff) Conservation Reserve]
* [http://www.unb.ca/passc/ImpactDatabase/ Earth Impact Database]
* [http://www.seeli.com/Daniel/person/pics/YABertrand/GosseBluffAUS.jpgNice photo of Gosse Bluff ©Yann Arthus-Bertrand 'Earth from above with Fujifilm and UNESCO']

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