Viewfield - Hypervelocity Impact Crater

Alternate Names
Local Language
Coordinates 49° 34' 60" N; 103° 4' 0" W
Country Canada
Region Saskatchewan
Date Confirmed 1998
Notes
  1. Shock first documented in 1998 with PDFs in detrital quartz grains (Grieve et al., 1998). First propsoed as an impactc crater in 1972 but no shock metamorphic evidence provided (Sawatzky, 1972).
Buried? Yes
Drilled? Yes
Notes
  1. Many oil/gas drill holes (80% are producers)
Target Type Sedimentary
Notes
  1. Jurassic to Devonian.
Sub-Type Carbonate, Redbeds
Apparent Crater Diameter (km) 2.4 km
Age (Ma) 170 - 210
Notes :
  1. Stratigraphic constraints provide a rough age of 170-210 Ma (younger than Mississippian, likely older than Triassic-Jurassic) (Grieve, 2006).

Method :
  1. Stratigraphy
Impactor Type Unknown

Advanced Data Fields

Notes

Erosion
2
  1. Rim and crater-fill present.
Final Rim Diameter
Unknown
Apparent Rim Diameter
2.4 km
  1. Crater diameter is ~2.4 km (one and a half miles) (Sawatzky, 1972) (Grieve et al., 1998).
Rim Reliability Index
3
  1. An original rim height is calculated to be ~495 ft (151 m) with original depth ~1200 ft (366 m). Present rim height is ~200 ft (61 m) (Sawatzky, 1972).
Crater Morphology
Simple
Central Uplift Diameter
km
Central Uplift Height
Unknown
Uplift Reliability Index
Structural Uplift
Unknown
Thickness of Seds
Target Age
Palaeozoic Mesozoic
Marine
No
Impactor Type
Other Shock Metamorphism
No
Shatter Cones
No
  1. Completely buried" (Grieve, 2006).
Planar Fractures
No
Planar Deformation Features
Yes
  1. PDF in quartz, rare (Grieve et al., 1998). PDF quartz orientation ω{1013} and π{1012} (Grieve, 2006).
Diaplectic Glass
No
Coesite
No
Stisovite
No
Crater Fill
LB
Proximal Ejecta
Distal Ejecta
Dykes
Volume of Melt
Depth of Melting

References

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H B Sawatzky (1972) Viewfield - a producing fossil crater?, Journal of the Canadian Society of Exploration Geophysicists 8(1), p. 22-40, Canadian Society of Exploration Geophysicists, Calgary, AB, url

H B Sawatzky (1976) Why petroleum explorationist should be on lookout for buried fossil craters, AAPG Bulletin 60(8), p. 1409-1410, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Tulsa, OK, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1306/C1EA381B-16C9-11D7-8645000102C1865D

H B Sawatzky (1977) Buried impact craters in the Williston Basin and adjacent area, Lunar Science Institute topical conference ; Symposium on planetary cratering mechanics, D J Roddy, R O Pepin, R B Merrill (ed.), Pergamon Press, New York, N.Y., url

A Gubins, D W Strangway (1978) Canadian Geophysical Union; 5th annual meeting, Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union 59(12), p. 1036, American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC

H B Sawatzky (1978) Why look for buried impact craters?, Annual Conference - Ontario Petroleum Institute(17), p. 0-1 p., Ontario Petroleum Institute, Blenheim, ON

R R Donofrio (1981) Impact craters; implications for basement hydrocarbon production, Journal of Petroleum Geology 3(3), p. 279-302, Scientific Press, Beaconsfield, url, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1306/BF9AB5C9-0EB6-11D7-8643000102C1865D

E J Petuch (1985) An Eocene asteroid impact in southern Florida and the origin of the Everglades, Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America 17(7), p. 688, Geological Society of America (GSA), Boulder, CO

R A F Grieve, K Kreis, A M Therriault, P B Robertson (1998) Impact structures in the Williston Basin, Meteoritics & Planetary Science 33(4, Suppl.), p. A63-A64, Meteoritical Society, Fayetteville, AR, pdf

R A F Grieve, A M Therriault, L K Kreis (1998) Impact structures of the Western sedimentary basin of North America; new discoveries and hydrocarbon resources, Special Publication - Saskatchewan Geological Society 13, James E Christopher, Christopher F Gilboy, Douglas F Paterson, Stephen L Bend (ed.), p. 189-201, Saskatchewan Geological Society, Regina, SK, url

D Rajmon, G S Steffens (2010) Hydrocarbon accumulations and exploration considerations associated with impact structures, Abstracts: Annual Meeting - American Association of Petroleum Geologists 2010, American Association of Petroleum Geologists and Society for Sedimentary Geology, Tulsa, OK