Kentland crater

Kentland crater near Kentland, Indiana, is a deeply eroded meteorite impact structure that stands out in a region of otherwise flat bedrock because its rocks are intensely deformed. The circular dome is about 7.24 kilometers across, within a broader disturbed area roughly 12.5 to 13 kilometers wide. At its center, Ordovician Shakopee dolomite has been uplifted about 2,000 feet above its normal level, while surrounding layers are tilted, broken, and juxtaposed with rocks of very different ages. Long debated, the site was identified by the late 1960s as an impact structure after discoveries including shatter cones and coesite. Ongoing quarrying has both altered and exposed this important example of an ancient impact scar.

Indiana · United States