Campo del Cielo - Impact Crater

Alternate Names
Local Language "Piguem Nonralta (Cassidy et al., 1965) Large individual craters have traditional names: Hoyo de al Canada (No. 1), Hoyo Rubin de Celis (No. 2), Laguna Negra (No. 3), Hoyo aislado (No. 4) (Cassidy et al., 1965)."
Coordinates 27° 36' 35" S; 61° 40' 53" W
Notes
  1. S 27°34.34\' - S27°39.28\'; W 61°35.02 - W61°45.03\'. Semi-arid plains region of northern Argentina. Crater field consists of 16 primary craters and 4 small craters (primary or secondary) located ~860 km NNW of Buenos Aires.
Country Argentina
Region Chaco
Date Confirmed 1933
Notes
  1. Spencer, 1933 was first to suggest these were formed by a meteorite impact, drawing a connection between the craters and several projectile fragments recovered (see summary of history in 1933 paper). \"\"Native iron\"\" was described as early as 1576 and several large fragments of the projectile(s) have been recovered since.
Buried? No
Notes
  1. Soil has infilled the craters (Cassidy, 1973).
Drilled? Yes
Notes
  1. Core drilling resulted in useful data, but the structure of the crater was only understood after excavation or trenching by hand; this operation being similar to an archeological dig (Cassidy, 1971).
Target Type Sedimentary
Notes
  1. A remarkably flat area where the Quaternary soil is a uniform loess, with no correlatable stratigraphic features (Cassidy, 1971).
Sub-Type Loess
Apparent Crater Diameter (km) 115 m
Age (Ma) 0.00338 - 0.00405
Notes :
  1. Formed between 4050 and 3880 years ago based on radiocarbon dating (Cassidy, 1973). AL: The 14C dating Campo del Cielo is in (Cassidy and Renard 1996) >>>>> IS CASSIDY, 1973 SOME KIND OF REPORT THAT IS NOT VIDELY AVAILABLE?<<<<<. It is based on only 3 14C dated samples that have not been described in detail. Because of that I suggest to not include data with such a precission because it suggest high accuracy that is not there. \"From C-14 analysis of three charcoal samples, the age of the crater filed was determined to be ~4000 years BP. One sample was found in sediments infilling Crater 1 and was assumed to be younger than the event. The second sample was found in an ancient subsoil belowe an ancient soil that had been buried by outthrown material from Crater 2, an explosion-analog-type crater; this samle was assumed to be the same age or older than the time of crater formation. The third sample was found at the bottom of crater 10, at the begining of the tunnel. This sample was assumed to be the same age as the event (Table 4).\" I think that the real age of the crater is closer to the 5800+/-200 as in (Cassidy et al. 1965) - the field description of those samples is to what I have seen in Kaali and Morasko.

Method :
  1. 14C
Impactor Type Iron, IAB
Notes
  1. Specimens of meteorite material range from coarsest octahedrite to granular hexahedrite (Bunch and Cassidy, 1968). Buried crater pits contain magnetic meteorite material and were found using this method (see Geophysics-magnetics) (Cassidy, 1973). Meteorites recovered.

Advanced Data Fields

Notes

Erosion
1
  1. Crater field is well preserved (Cassidy, 1971). Substantial erosion occurred to convert craters to shallow form when discovered (Cassidy, 1971).
Final Rim Diameter
115 m
Maximum Crater Size
115 m
Number of Craters
20+
Rim Reliability Index
1
  1. 4 explosion craters in field. Crater field contains at least 20 small craters, only 4 are considered explosion craters while the remaining craters are categorized as penetration funnels e.g., (Cassidy and Renard, 1996) (Vesconi et al., 2011). The explosion craters have diameters of 105 x 65 m (No. 1), 72 x 69 m (No. 2), 115 x 91 m (No. 3), 89 x 88 m (No. 4) (Cassidy et al., 1965). Dimensions for crater no. 10, the largest of the field (Cassidy, 1971). Crater is elongated in direction of fall. See also (Cassidy, 1973).
Thickness of Seds
Target Age
Cenozoic
Marine
No

References

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J J Nagera (1926) Los Hoyos del Campo del Cielo y el Meteorito, Ministerio de Argicultura de la Nacion 19

L J Spencer (1933) Meteorite Craters as Topographical Features on the Earth's Surface, Source: The Geographical Journal 81(3), p. 227-243

C T Hardy (1954) Major craters attributed to meteoritic impact, Bulletin of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists 38(5), p. 917-923, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Tulsa, OK, url

W A Cassidy, L M Villar, Ted E Bunch, T P Kohman, D J Milton (1965) Meteorites and Craters of Campo del Cielo, Argentina, Science 149(3688), p. 1055-1064

E Opik (1966) The campo del cielo group of meteorite craters, Irish Astronomical Journal 7(5), p. 169, Irish Astronomical Society, Dublin, url

W A Cassidy (1968) Meteorite impact structures at Campo del Cielo, Argentina, Shock metamorphism of natural materials, Bevan French, Nicholas M Short (ed.), url

Ted E Bunch, W A Cassidy (1968) Impact-induced deformation in the Campo del Cielo meteorite, Shock metamorphism of natural materials, 1st Conf., Greenbelt, Md., 1966, Proc., url

W A Cassidy (1969) A small meteorite crater; structural details (Campo del Cielo, Argentina), Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union 50(4), p. 220, American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC, url

W A Cassidy (1970) Discovery of a new multiton meteorite at Campo del Cielo, Meteoritics 5(4), p. 187, Arizona State University, Center for Meteorite Studies, Tempe, AZ, url

W A Cassidy, M E Renard (1970) On the problem of the entry trajectory of the Campo del Cielo meteorite, Meteoritics 5(4), p. 187-188, Arizona State University, Center for Meteorite Studies, Tempe, AZ, url

M L Renard, W A Cassidy (1971) Entry Trajectory and Orbital Calculations for the Crater 9 Meteorite, Campo del Cielo, Argentina, Journal of Geophysical Research 76(32), p. 7916-7923, American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC, url

W A Cassidy (1971) A small meteorite crater: Structural details, Journal of Geophysical Research 76(17), p. 3896-3912, American Geophysical Union (AGU), url, doi:10.1029/jb076i017p03896

A Romana, W A Cassidy (1973) The Campo del Cielo, Argentina meteorite crater field, Meteoritics 8, p. 430-431

R S Rajan, D O Revelle (1988) Terrestrial impact craters; preatmospheric masses, velocities and orbital constraints, Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union 69(44), p. 1292, American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC, url

S G Traub, W A Cassidy (1989) Alteration of Campo Del Cielo Soil by Meteorite Impact Implications for the Surface of Mars, Lunar and Planetary Institute

U B Marvin, Silvia F de M Figueiroa, M M Lopes (1994) The meteorite of Campo del Cielo, Argentina; its history in politics, diplomacy, and science, XVIII INHIGEO congress, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, url

W A Cassidy (1995) Discovering research value in small meteorite craters, Meteoritics & Planetary Science 30(5), Derek W G Sears (ed.), p. 495-496, Meteoritical Society, Fayetteville, AR, url

W A Cassidy, M Renard (1996) Discovering research value in the Campo del Cielo, Argentina, meteorite craters, Meteorics and Planetary Science 31, p. 433-448

R G Liberman, J O Fernandez Niello, K Fifield, J Masarik, R C Reedy, M di Tada (2002) Campo del Cielo iron meteorite: Sample shielding and meteoroid's preatmospheric size, Meteoritics & Planetary Science 37, p. 295-300, url

W A Cassidy, S P Wright (2003) Small Impact Craters in Argentine Loess: a Step up from Modeling Experiments, url

K K Williams, J A Grant, C J Leuschen, A E Schutz (2005) Field testing the STRATA ground penetrating radar for Mars, Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union 86(52, SUPPL.), p. Abstract P31C-0209, American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC, url

P H Schultz, R S Harris (2006) Argentine impact record; implications for the late Cenozoic cratering rates, Abstracts of Papers Submitted to the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 37, p. unpaginated, Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Houston, TX, url

J C Echaurren, C Shearer, L E Borg, K Righter (2006) Possible correlation for planetary formation, between generation of impact craters and both accretion and initial conditions of terrestrial planets; numerical simulation and application to the Campo del Cielo Crater field, South America, LPI Contribution, p. 30, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX, url

Jens Ormö, A Lepinette (2006) Numerical simulation of heating of target at crater-field-forming impact events, Abstracts of Papers Submitted to the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 37, p. 0-unpaginated, Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Houston, TX, url

M C L Rocca (2006) A catalog of large meteorite specimens from Campo del Cielo meteorite shower, Chaco Province, Argentina, Meteoritics & Planetary Science 41, Supple, p. 1, Meteoritical Society, Fayetteville, AR, url

S P Wright, M A Vesconi, A Gustin, K K Williams, A C Ocampo, W A Cassidy (2006) Revisiting the Campo del Cielo, Argentina crater field: A new data point from a natural laboratory of multiple low velocity, oblique impacts, Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, url

J C Echaurren (2007) Numerical estimations for impact conditions on Campo del Cielo, crater field, South America, Meteoritics & Planetary Science 42, Supple, p. 1, Meteoritical Society, Fayetteville, AR, url

S P Wright, Philip R Christensen (2007) Field and handlens geology at Lonar Crater, India; distinguishing small scale features of impact from those of basaltic volcanism and implications for Mars landers/rovers, Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America 39(6), p. 368, Geological Society of America (GSA), Boulder, CO, url

S P Wright, M A Vesconi, M G Spagnuolo, C Cerrutti, R W Jacob, W A Cassidy (2007) Explosion craters and penetration funnels in the Campo del Cielo, Argentina crater field, Abstracts of Papers Submitted to the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 38, p. Abstract 2017, Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Houston, TX, url

L M Villar, C G Asato (2008) Campo Del Cielo: La gran iluvia meteoritica

I Domke, A Deutsch, L Hecht, T Kenkmann (2010) MEMIN project; the search for suitable projectile material in meso-scale hypervelocity cratering experiments, Abstracts of Papers Submitted to the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 41, p. Abstract 1605, Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Houston, TX, url

I Domke, A Deutsch, L Hecht, T Kenkmann, J Berndt (2010) Meso-scale hypervelocity cratering experiments (MEMIN project); characterization of projectile material, Geophysical Research Abstracts 12, p. EGU2010-6623, Copernicus GmbH on behalf of the European Geosciences Union (EGU), Katlenburg-Lindau, url

S Wright (2011) Fieldwork and thermal emission spectroscopy of basaltic impactites; implications for Mars orbital and lander data, Fieldwork and thermal emission spectroscopy of basaltic impactites; implications for Mars orbital and lander data, p. 175, url

M H Poelchau, A Deutsch, T Kenkmann, T Hoerth, F Schäfer, K Thoma (2011) Experimental impact cratering into sandstone; a MEMIN-progress report, Abstracts of Papers Submitted to the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 42, p. 1824, Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Houston, TX, url

M A Vesconi, S P Wright, M Spagnuolo, R Jacob, C Cerrutti, L Garcia, E Fernandez, W A Cassidy (2011) Comparison of four meteorite penetration funnels in the Campo del Cielo crater field, Argentina, Meteoritics and Planetary Science 46(7), p. 935-949, url, doi:10.1111/j.1945-5100.2011.01202.x

F D Sommer, F Reiser, A Dufresne, M H Poelchau, T Kenkmann, A Deutsch (2012) Ejection behavior during variation of impact energy and target water saturation; the MEMIN project, Abstracts of Papers Submitted to the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 43, p. Abstract 2035, Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Houston, TX, url