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STEINHEIM CRATER Steinheim Am Albuch, Steinheim Crater Is Located in the Swabain Alb

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STEINHEIM CRATER Steinheim Am Albuch, Steinheim Crater Is Located in the Swabain Alb STEINHEIM CRATER Steinheim am Albuch, Steinheim crater is located in the Swabain Alb. Since the impact a small town has been built on site. However the crater still remains popular due to it being the best preserved crater with a central uplift. Formation: The Steinheim crater is the smaller partner to the Ries crater. It is located in Alb, Steinheim. It is thought that the two craters were formed 15million years ago. However, there are two theories to how the Steinheim crater formed; either a double meteorite or a 150m fragmentation of one larger impactor as it collided with the earth to form the 24km Reis crater. In either theory, the impactor travelled at around 7.2x104 km/hour impacted the Earth. This meteorite collided with the earth with a similar amount of energy as 100,000 Hiroshima bombs. It is thought that the meteorite hit the earth’s crust at an angle between 30 and 50 degrees which, on impact, caused the pressure to increase by a million bar. As the pressure rises, the temperature also increases to 30,000 degrees causing rocks to disintegrate. Formation of a complex crater Morphology The Steinheim crater is a typical complex crater. This means it has a central uplift in the centre of the crater. The central uplift has been measured to be around 1000m in diameter and be 50m above the basin floor, and the crater itself being 3.8 km in diameter and the sides measuring to ~100m deep. However according to gravity re- searchers, the crater could in fact be double the size! Because the impact crater is exposed, it is subject to erosion and weathering and therefore the morphology of the crater has changed little each year that passes. In addition, the crater also has a ring sur- rounding it. One can also see that the morphology of the crater isn’t perfectly spherical. It is elongated on one side. This suggests that the meteorite hit the earth at an angle.The target was sedimentary rocks, digging through the layers shows that the sedimentary target con- sisted of marlstones, sandstones and claystones which contribute to the megabreccia of the central uplift and to breccia in the basin. Mol- davites were also found. Moldavites is a natural glassy material which is formed as a result of high pressure and temperature in meteor im- pacts. In 1960, Eugene Shoemaker also found coesite, a mineral only found in areas which have been impacted .He also found abundance of suevite brec- cias, shattercones, and mel- trock created by the impact proving that the crater was an impact crater as these are some of the defining things to Right: An arial view of Steinheim Steinheim Steinheim is a town that has been built on top of the crater and is a popular place to visit because of the beautiful landscape. Stein- heim is located about 6km west of Heidenheim. For walkers and hikers this is a popular plafe to visit, with many trails and walks to go on. There are four main walks with guides. -Geological trail: 6km round the landscape -Meteor Crater Loop trail: 20km with beautiful landscape and ro- mantic views around the basin -Interactive Wentalehrpfad -The Heath Trail heath trail on the Schäfhalde gives an overview of heath-related issues. In addition, the topic of gliding is treated. If you are interested in one of these guided walks please, don’t hesitate to phone 073296150 or email at [email protected] for more information Book your place now! Why not try your hand at disc golf! Steinheim has become the home to disc golf so why not try your hand at it? Rather bike? Why not try our Crater to Crater trail. You can cycle around and between the two sister craters, taking in the breath-taking views as you cruise by. Meteor Museum Why not visit the Meteor Crater Museum in the district Sontheim Stubental. Witness the event of the impact unfold before your eyes as you take a tour round the museum. We also offer a short video about the history of the crater and town. A fossil of a snap- You can also handle real life ping tutrle fossils! Closed from November to February each year, open for groups by appointment and appointment. Opening times of 01:03. to 31.10. of each year: Friday: 13:00-17:00 Saturday/Sunday/Hoidays: 10:00-17:00 Appointment for groups please phone 07329/9606-58 Prices: Adults : €2.50 Groups of 15+ : €2.00 pp Students, pensioners and disabled: €1.50 Families: €6.00 .
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