United States Meteorite Impact Craters

Avak crater is a buried structure of about 12 km diameter.

Evidence of Impact Origin

Without the identification and publication of unambiguous diagnostic evidence of hypervelocity impact in a scientific (preferably peer reviewed) context, a geological structure is not a confirmed impact crater.  The impact origin of each site listed on this website has been supported by rigorous scientific work that has been subsequently published in an appropriate context.  This section is not meant to provide an exhaustive list of such published evidence, but rather to demonstrate that appropriate work has been done.

C.E. Kirschner, Arthur Grantz, and M.W. Mullen (May 1992). "Impact Origin of the Avak Structure, Arctic Alaska, and Genesis of the Barrow Gas Fields". American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin 76 (5): 651–679.

Therriault, A. M. & Grantz, A. (1995). "Planar Deformation Features in Quartz Grains from Mixed Breccia of the Avak Structure, Alaska". Abstract. LPSC 26: 1043.

Nature of diagnostic evidence:

• multiple sets of PDFs in quartz
• shatter cones

Other significant evidence: Morphology, breccias, shock mosaicism in quartz, planar fractures in quartz.

Bibliography and References:

(If links to articles don't work, don't give up. Try pasting the link shown into a search engine or searching for the article authors, title, or other reference information.  If your research leads you to additional scientific references related to this crater, please help improve this resource by sending a note with the new citation(s) to: )

Collins F. R. and Brewer M. C. (1961) Core Tests and Test Wells Barrow Area, Alaska. Exploration of Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4 and adjacent areas, northern Alaska, 1944-53 - Part 5, Subsurface geology and engineering data. U.S. Geological Survey Open File Report, Geological Survey Professional Paper 305-K, 1967.

and

Collins F. R. and Robinson F. M. (1967) Subsurface stratigraphic, structural and economic geology, northern Alaska -- Exploration of Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4 and adjacent areas, northern Alaska, 1944-53: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 67-64.

and  

Donofrio R. R. (1997) Survey of hydrocarbon-producing impact structures in North America: Exploration results to date and potential for discovery in Precambrian basement rock in Johnson K. S. and Campbell J. A. (eds.), Ames Structure in Northwest Oklahoma and Similar Features: Origin and Petroleum Production (1995 Symposium), p. 17-29. Oklahoma Geological Survey Circular 100.



Grieve R. A. F. (1997) Terrestrial Impact Structures: Basic Characteristics and Economic Significance, With Emphasis on Hydrocarbon Production, in Johnson K. S. and Campbell J. A. (eds.), Ames Structure in Northwest Oklahoma and Similar Features: Origin and Petroleum Production (1995 Symposium), p. 11. Oklahoma Geological Survey Circular 100.

Grieve R. A. F., Masaitis V. L. (1994) The economic potential of terrestrial impact craters. International Geology Review, v. 36:2. pp. 105-151.

Kirschner C. E., Grantz A., and Mullen M. W. (May 1992) Impact Origin of the Avak Structure, Arctic Alaska, and Genesis of the Barrow Gas Fields. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin 76 (5): 651–679.

Therriault, A. M. & Grantz, A. (1995) "Planar Deformation Features in Quartz Grains from Mixed Breccia of the Avak Structure, Alaska". Abstract. LPSC 26: 1403.