DR Congo ring may be giant 'impact crater'

[IndianaGreen]

A survey in the area is now required to stand up some of the ideas

DR Congo ring may be giant 'impact crater'

By Paul Rincon
Science reporter, BBC News, The Woodlands, Texas

Deforestation has revealed what could be a giant impact crater in Central Africa, scientists say.

The 36-46km-wide feature, identified in DR Congo, may be one of the largest such structures discovered in the last decade.

Italian researchers considered other origins for the ring, but say these are unlikely.

They presented their findings at the recent Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Texas, US.

The ring shape is clearly visible in the satellite image by TerraMetrics Inc reproduced on this page.

Only about 25 terrestrial impact craters are of comparable size or larger, according to the web-based Earth Impact Database.

Giovanni Monegato, from the University of Padova, said the feature was revealed only after trees were cleared from the area over the last decade.

The Unia River flows around the ring structure, underlining its round shape. The central part of the Wembo-Nyama feature is irregular and about 550m in elevation.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8526093.stm

[Faygo Kid]

1. "It appears to post-date the Jurassic Period. . . " Fascinating.

Could that be a reason for the transition to the Cretaceous? Sure looks like a crater to me. Whatever happened to the sauropods, anyway?

Like I said. Fascinating.

[Johonny]

11. They went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous

[kayakjohnny]

2. To me, it seems to be something else. Like a conincidentally circular flowing river.

I just found it on google earth, tilted the picture and exaggerated the elevation for emphasis. It doesn't appear to have a depression in the middle. In fact the center of this area is higher than the edges of the circle.

When compared with our little meteor crater in Arizona, it doesn't hold up. There is a good 5 or 6 hundred foot difference in elevation from the center at the bottom, and the ridge up along the rim, in AZ. The one in the Congo has no significant elevation variation across that whole area.

The one in AZ actually looks like a meteor hit, where as the one in the Congo does not. At all.

To me at least.

They'll find out that this is something else entirely.

[localroger]

3. Really big craters don't look like Meteor Crater

It's normal for really big craters to have a mountain in the center, because the impactor punches through and magma wells up from the center of the depression. Large basins tend to refill in this way, and the magma forms a bulge or volcanic cone in the center. Many of the large Lunar and Martian impact craters show similar features.

[kayakjohnny]

5. Right, but I don't see enough of an anomally in either the soil type or the vegetation

and certainly the elevation inside versus outside of the circle to indicate such a massive event. And thanks for your dignified response.

[isim1985]

4. you serious?

Amusing, comparing a meteor crater in DR Congo thats 36-46km wide to a crater in Arizona thats 1200m's wide. I'm no scientist but even i know there will be soo many reasons that would make craters different. Size, material, speed, angle of attack of meteor and the type of material it impacts with, how long ago it happened to name a few!

Google Earth, dammit i bet those "researchers" are kicking themselves now, they should have checked google earth first before saying it was unlikely to be anything other than a meteor strike. They are going to be kicking themselves now!! lol

EDIT: A circular flowing river? Please, show me somewhere on earth that has a river that starts at one point, and then comes back almost to itself in an perfect circle. Goodluck!!

[caraher]

8. Coincidentally circular?

What gives rise to that?

Now apply Occam's razor...

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

6. It couldn't be a kimberlite pipe?

Given the mineral wealth of the region, that would have been my first guess.

[Geostudent]

7. Too big

That would be one huge kimberlite pipe. The largest kimberlite pipe is ~2km across. Also the rock type of the area would be a major clue. If it was a pipe would be more volatile rich mantle like rocks

[Enthusiast]

9. It's a feckin' impact crater!

Does anyone know of another explanation, another geological feature of this size?

[meeshrox]

10. looks like

every old and weathered impact crater I've ever seen...

we'll know after studying the mineralolgy..."shocked quartz" and all...