United States Meteorite Impact Craters


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    • Chapter 1
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    • Chapter 9
    • Chapter 10
    • Chapter 11
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chapter 11 - Glossary of impact astrogeology terms

Coesite - high pressure mineral polymorph of quartz

Complex crater - 

Cryptoexplosion - (also crypto-explosion) A term coined by Raymond S. Dietz, in 1946 or 1947 [clarify this] to replace 'cryptovolcanic,' in order to allow the discussion of what we now understand as complex impact structures, independent of the assumption of volcanic origin that had been implicit in the name.

Cryptovolcanic - (also crypto-volcanic) A term coined by W. Branco and E. Fraas, in 1905, to describe the explosive structure now understood as the Steinheim impact crater, in Germany.  'Cryptovolcanism' described structures that were roughly circular, with a shattered central uplift surrounded by a depressed basin.  Cryptovolcanic structures were attributed to hidden volcanic processes that released steam or other gasses, causing violent explosions originating from deep below greound.  Cryptovolcanism became a major explanatory paradigm for the class of structures now known as complex impact craters, competing with the impact explanation for many decades.

impact structure versus impact crater - 

Multi-ring basin - 

Shatter cone - (earlier literature uses cup-and-cone, shear-cones, pressure-cones, and cone-in-cone) Note that the term 'cone-in-cone structure' is still in use, and now refers to a completely different small-scale sedimentary structure.

Simple crater

Stishovite - very high pressure mineral polymorph of quartz

Suevite - 

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