The Pleistocene era, also known as Ice Age, was the epoch of the Barringer Meteor Crater impact, approximately 50,000 years ago. It was quite a different landscape than what is seen now: a high desert plain. In fact it struck land which was covered with juniper-pinyon forest and megafauna such as mammoths and giant sloths! This image depicts quite a few of the animals which would have been present at the time of this impact.

If you were to guess, not knowing about impact cratering, you might assume that the meteorite was enormous!

From our family to yours we wish you the very best for the new year!

You may already know that diamonds are only formed under extreme temperature and pressure, but did you know that they can form upon impact of a meteorite? Visit the Barringer Space Museum at Meteor Crater to fond out more! By the way, they’re not large or gem quality, but it is a fascinating fact!

Mars rover Curiosity is roving again, this time NASA is looking at a strange rock which stands out from the others. It may not be from the same geological source as its surroundings.

Fascinating research and discoveries ongoing at Chixilub crater! Barringer Crater’s science advisor, Dr David Kring, leads and has continued research of the cores taken at Chixilub.

This new study shows that the vast hydrothermal system under this crater hosts a microbial nursery, and provides evidence supporting the Impact origin of life hypothesis.

Meteor Crater is temporarily closed for two weeks due to COVID-19. The health and safety of our employees and guests is our #1 priority and we are taking all necessary steps to ensure a safe reopening on Monday, November 23rd. Stay tuned!

Yes, its true, there is a place to report your sightings of meteor “fireballs” in the sky near your location. This website with the American Meteor Society tracks the frequency and reports of these shooting stars! How interesting to see how often and how many people also witness these unusual events all on one website.

A new documentary film directed by Werner Herzog and Clive Oppenheimer explores how meteorites have impacted our planet’s landscapes and cultures around the world! Featuring stunning cinematography as they travel all continents, sharing indigenous traditions, science, and the possibility of a catastrophic impact in the future. This film premiers on Apple TV November 13.

IMAX has released a new film this month, Asteroid Hunters narrated by Daisy Ridley! Dramatic yet scientific, this film discusses the potential for an asteroid to head for earth and what is being done about it. Barringer Meteorite Crater is aptly featured, as it is considered the best preserved/most visible meteorite crater

A thoroughly enjoyable article about visiting the crater, including the science and history, by James Martin for CNet

Image Courtesy NASA/George Varros / Public domain

Watch for the Draconids this week!

Ever wonder what a Meteorite actually is? Or, the difference between Meteoroid, Meteor, and Meteorite? NASA has a whole page dedicated to this topic. As it turns out, only “space rocks” which make it all the way to earth are called Meteorites! According to NASA, Meteoriods are the dust and rocks in space, and they only become Meteors when they streak across our atmosphere, and only when they land, can they be called Meteorites!

Joanna Morgan is a Professor of Geophysics at Imperial College London

Joanna received the Barringer award for her work on the Chicxulub impact crater. She first heard about Chicxulub in the mid 1990s when scientists were arguing about its size and morphology, and whether it was the site of the K-T impact.

This shaded relief (public domain) image of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula shows a subtle, but unmistakable, indication of the Chicxulub impact crater. Most scientists now agree that this impact was the cause of the Cretatious-Tertiary Extinction, the event 65 million years ago that marked the sudden extinction of the dinosaurs as well as the majority of life then on Earth.

Thanks to Soddjartj Raipriye’s research project grant we will soon learn more about the formation of Ramgarh Crater in Rajasthan, India.

At the center of this 4 km wide meteorite crater there is the 10th century Bhand Deva Temple, built on the edge of a pond. Quite a “celestial” site for such a beautiful temple. Learn more here.

Catherine Ross’ project: Testing the Reliability of Zircon (U-Th)/He Impact Crater Thermochronometry its to determine several factors which affect Zircon for the sake of determining of dates of impacts more reliably.