Wells Creek crater

Wells Creek crater, near Cumberland City in Tennessee, is an exposed meteorite impact structure about twelve kilometers, or seven and a half miles, across and dated to roughly two hundred plus or minus one hundred million years ago. Its surface geology clearly reveals how a large impact reshaped the landscape: a central uplift exposes older Cambro-Ordovician rocks, surrounded by concentric bands of younger Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, and Mississippian formations. The site is especially noted for its well-preserved shatter cones, among the finest known examples in the world, as well as radial and concentric faulting. It is one of Tennessee’s best-known impact sites and an important place for geological study.

Cumberland City, Tennessee · United States