DISCOVERINGAlabama

Teacher’s Guide

Suggested Curriculum Areas Wetumpka Impact Crater Science Geography Synopsis Social Studies labama bears the scar of an ancient terrible event, the fall Aof a giant meteorite near Wetumpka. Because this happened so long ago — near the end of the Age of Dinosaurs —scientists Suggested Grade Levels were slow to recognize the eroded four-mile wide crater, or as- 4 –12 trobleme, in Elmore County, northeast of Montgomery. Discov- ering Alabama visits this interesting spot, talks to the geologists who discovered it, and interviews scientists who have been study- Key Concepts ing it. Scientific Hypothesis Update: At the time of this video production, featured scien- & Verification tists were studying geologic samples from the astrobleme, search- ing for microscopic evidence of “shocked quartz,” uniquely frac- Catastrophic Events tured quartz grains that would confirm the meteoric origins of the crater. No other known earthly process, not even volcanos, can shatter the hard grains of quartz present in most rocks. After Key Skills this video was produced, the scientists found shocked quartz col- Map Reading lected in the drill cores from the bottom of the astrobleme — proof positive that the Wetumpka Crater was the result of the impact of a large meteorite.

Discovering Alabama is a production of the Alabama Museum of Natural History in cooperation with Alabama Public Television. For a complete list of titles in the Discovering Alabama series, as well as for information about ordering videos and accompanying Teacher’s Guides, contact us at either: Discovering Alabama, Box 870340, Tuscaloosa AL 35487–0340; phone: 205–348–2036; fax: 205–348–4219; or email: [email protected]. Also visit our website: www.discoveringalabama.org. This program was produced with support from the following organizations:

Printed on recycled paper #31 Wetumpka Impact Crater © Doug Phillips, 2000 Before Viewing After Viewing 2. Go on a crater hunt. Get a good world atlas or the National Geo- Find Wetumpka on an Alabama What would be the effect of a graphic Atlas of North America. Eastern 1. 1. highway map. Can you see any Wetumpka-sized meteorite strike Canada is a good place to begin look- trace of the crater? A more detailed map, today? Cut a four-inch circular hole in ing because the Ice Age glaciers scraped perhaps the recently published Alabama the middle of a piece of paper. Look at off most of its soil only a few thousand Atlas & Gazetteer or an Elmore County the graphic scale at the bottom of an years ago, and so you can see a number map, may show the crater area better. official Alabama highway map: four of old craters blasted into the bedrock. The astrobleme is immediately east of inches is about 50 miles. This is roughly The rest of the world is equally cratered, downtown Wetumpka, but it is hard to the diameter of the heat and blast-ef- but like Wetumpka, many of them are see. Point out to the students a large oval fect area of the Wetumpka meteorite hard to see. of woods east of Wetumpka that most strike. Move this circle around the map of the main roads go around. Its eroded, and check out your community! 3. Use a telescope to check out indistinct nature is why it went unrec- the obvious craters on the moon. ognized as an astrobleme until recently. 2. Are you in danger of being struck by a meteorite? Mrs. Anne 2. Find a picture of Meteor Crater, Hodges of Sylacauga remains the only Philosophical Reflections southeast of Flagstaff, Arizona — human being in history known to have also called the Barringer Crater or Can- been hit. What is truly dangerous? The Earth seems so permanent and solid yon Diablo Crater. This is a fairly re- Compare the known and measurable beneath our feet. The notion that, with cent crater, only about 40,000 years old. dangers of lightning, tornadoes, earth- no warning, an awful calamity can come Now that looks like a crater! The rea- quakes, and floods. (Note: About 150 out of the clear blue sky and destroy ev- son why the Wetumpka crater doesn’t people a year are killed by lightning in erything we know is a frightening idea. look like the Barringer Crater is because the U.S.) But we Alabamians live with more fre- it is about 1650 times older! quent and destructive natural disasters such as tornadoes and hurricanes. It is a tribute to the spirit of mankind that, Extensions even when faced with uncontrollable di- While Viewing sasters, we manage to live and progress 1. Alabama has three good mete- as a human society. What systems of Make sure each student has a pencil and orite stories: the asteroid impact belief and reasoning are related to hu- paper at hand so they can note key in- at Wetumpka about 66 million years man survival in the face of catastrophic formation, questions, and comments ago, the 8.5 pound meteorite that hit events? that come to mind when viewing the Mrs. Hodges in 1954, and the great Le- video. For example: Who are the people onid meteor storm of 1833 — the year interviewed in the video? What are their “the stars fell on Alabama.” Read about names and where do they work? How these interesting stories in the Alabama does each contribute to this story? Why Heritage Magazine, see Additional Ref- should we believe them? erences and Resources.

Discovering Alabama Nature in Art Perseid around August 12th and the • Alabama Atlas & Gazetteer by De- Leonid in mid-November. Lorme Publishing, 1998. 1. Have the students draw or paint their impressions of the fall of the Wetumpka meteorite and the micro- Additional References & Parting Thoughts Resources meteor storm in the dark Alabama Discovering Alabama is committed countryside in November 1833. • Stars Fell on Alabama by Carl Car- to presenting educational programs mer, 1934. The book was reprinted by about the natural wonders of the state. 2. The song “ Stars Fell on Ala- University of Alabama Press in 1985. Therefore, some might ask why this bama” was inspired by a book of The song “Stars Fell on Alabama” by video is about such a catastrophic event the same name written in 1934, and it Mitchell Parish and Frank Perkins, was as an asteroid collision. Our intent is has been recorded over a thousand published by the Mills Music Company not to breed anxiety about an impend- times. One notable major recording is in 1934, and the sheet music is still in ing disaster, but to elicit scientific cu- on Jimmy Buffet’s 1980 album, Coco- print. “Stars Fell on Alabama” was re- riosity. This video was produced in nut Telegraph. Try to find other record- corded by Jimmy Buffet and is on his conjunction with the first scientific ex- ings, such as by the great jazz trombon- album, Coconut Telegraph, recorded in ploration of the subsurface geology of ist, Jack Teagarden. 1980. The song is also on several of his the floor of the Wetumpka structure. song collection CDs. Even though this strange place was dis- covered over a century ago, it wasn’t • Several articles by John Hall on me- until the 1970s that discoveries in Community Connections teorites are: “The Night the Stars Fell,” space allowed a theory as to its forma- Alabama Heritage Magazine no. 55 tion. Recent geological studies of the 1. This would be a good time to (Winter 2000); “The Wetumpka As- crater lend local relevance to space age check out your community’s trobleme,” Alabama Heritage Magazine scientific inquiry. emergency preparedness. Invite the no. 42 (Fall 1996); and “Anne Hodges Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Space county or city disaster preparedness and the Hand of Fate,” Alabama Heri- age inquiry has also prompted increas- manager and discover how he or she tage Magazine no. 37 (Summer 1995). ing collaboration among theologians prepares for disasters. Find out if mete- and scientists, many of whom are orites are on their list! • The Cryptoexplosive Structure at We- working together to examine questions tumpka by Tony Neathery, Geological of order and meaning in the universe. Many astronomy clubs across Survey of Alabama Reprint Series #44. Meanwhile, let us Alabamians cel- 2. our nation are finding it increas- Order from GSA, Box O, Tuscaloosa AL ebrate the remarkable natural won- ingly difficult to locate dark places to 35486, or call 205-349-2852. This is ders that help make our state so view the night sky. “Light pollution” the scientific report on the astrobleme uniquely blessed in contrast to the stark prevents most people from being aware by one of its discoverers. and lifeless extremes found elsewhere of the glorious night sky. What are some in the universe. of the main sources of light pollution? • Sky Calendar (good for evening sky Happy outings, Invite a local astronomer to talk to the watching) is available from Abrams class about asteroids, comets, and me- Planetarium, Michigan State University, teorites, and try to arrange an evening East Lansing MI 48824. They offer an field trip to a dark place to watch for inexpensive 12-month subscription that micrometeors. You do not need a fancy every school should receive. The calen- telescope. Patience and a dark sky will dar and sky maps are also available each reveal “shooting stars” almost every month in Sky & Telescope magazine. evening. Every year, there are a number of meteor shower events, such as the Discovering Alabama exploration in the 1960s, it became istic of an enormous hydrogen obvious that every hard surface in the bomb—blast, heat, bright light, and solar system was heavily cratered. So destructive effects—miles from the why not us? Well, the atmosphere impact. In fact, it worries some in the does protect us from the small stuff, military and in science that an event but not the Wetumpka-sized chunks. like the impact of a large meteorite The sea that covers 70% of the Earth might be mistaken for an act of ag- hides a lot of craters, and the active gression, thereby touching off an Discovering weather and mobile crust of the Earth atomic war before anyone could note covers and destroys many older cra- that no radiation was released from Alabama ters. Still, the closer scientists look, the explosion. the more craters they find. Activity/Information Sheet Some craters, like the Barringer Crater in Arizona are geologically re- The “Dinosaur Killer” cent (ca. 40,000 years ago) and look On a geologic time scale, some really Wetumptka Impact like craters, but others, like We- large meteorites occasionally fall. So tumpka, are so worn and eroded that powerful are these explosive events Crater they were harder to identify and that they fill the atmosphere with verify. In the Arctic regions of Canada dust, preventing the sun from reach- and Russia, glaciers have scraped the ing the plants on the earth’s surface. More Facts bedrock clean revealing many craters As a result, plants and the animals While asteroids, meteoroids, and blasted into the rocks in days gone that feed on them die in what is called comets are all debris resulting from by. Some, like the one in eastern an “extinction event.” It now appears the formation of the Solar System, Hudson’s Bay and the Gulf of St. that the occasional periods of extinc- there are differences between them. Lawrence are huge! tion, so clearly indicated in the fossil Asteroids are large rocky bodies, some record, may be due to such meteor- several hundred miles in diameter, ite impacts. which inhabit the asteroid belt that Making Craters The most famous of these events lies between the orbits of Mars and A rule of thumb is that a meteorite was the sudden extinction of the di- Jupiter. Meteoroids are smaller crater is 20 times larger than the me- nosaurs and most of the other spe- chunks of rocks ranging in size from teorite that made it. For example, the cies of plants and animals on Earth tiny dust particles to several miles Barringer Crater is 4,000 feet across. at the end of the Mesozoic Era, about wide. If a meteoroid enters the Earth’s By dividing that by twenty, you get a 66 million years ago. The dinosaurs, atmosphere, it is heated to a glowing 200-foot wide meteorite. The size of the dominant vertebrates on Earth streak of light—a falling or shooting the Wetumpka meteorite can be de- for more than 100 million years, van- star— by friction, and it becomes a termined by knowing that its crater ished abruptly, leaving behind their meteor. While most meteors never is about 20,000 feet—about 4 resilient relatives, the smaller birds reach the Earth’s surface, ones that miles—across. and mammals. do are called meteorites. Meteor Space objects commonly travel at This “Dinosaur Killer” created an showers occur when the Earth passes enormous speeds, about 25 miles per enormous crater in Mexico where through the trail of particles left by a second; this is called “hypervelocity.” Yucatan is now. The crater is not vis- comet. Comets are made up of fro- The fastest bullet fails to travel even ible because it is completely filled zen gases and dust. As they come one mile per second. A meteorite with limestone and forms the Yuca- closer to the Sun, their surfaces be- traveling at hypervelocity penetrates tan Peninsula. Drilling and careful gin to vaporize, producing the vis- the atmosphere and surface rocks chemical analyses have confirmed ible tail. before slowing down, whereupon its that this is the spot. If the diameter Until recently, few people believed energy instantly converts to heat and of the crater is 150 miles, how large that large meteorites ever struck the light, causing a great explosion. This was the Dinosaur Killer? Earth. However, with the rise of space explosion has almost every character-