Mistastin crater

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Mistastin Lake
Landsat Image
Location	Labrador, Canada
Coordinates	55°53′N 63°18′WCoordinates: 55°53′N 63°18′W
Lake type	impact crater lake
Basin countries	Canada
Max. length	19 km
Max. width	12 km
Surface area	145 km² (56 sq mi)
Surface elevation	338 m (1,109 ft)
Islands	Horseshoe Island

Mistastin crater is a meteorite crater in Labrador, Canada which contains the roughly circular Mistastin Lake.

The lake's arcuate central island is interpreted to be the central uplift of the complex crater structure. The target rocks were part of a batholith composed of adamellite, mangerite and lenses of anorthosite. There are abundant shock metamorphic features exhibited in the rocks of the island. PDFs, diaplectic glass, melt rocks, and shatter cones have been identified.

The lake is approximately 16 km in diameter, while the estimated diameter of the original crater is 28 km. The age of the crater is estimated to be 36.4 ± 4 million years (Eocene).

[edit] Additional sources

Currie, K.L. (1968) "Mistastin Lake, Labrador: A new Canadian crater". Nature, v. 220, pp. 776-777.
Currie, K.L. Larochelle, A. (1969) "A paleomagnetic study of volcanic rocks from Mistastin Lake, Labrador, Canada". Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 6, pp. 309-315.
Currie, K.L. (1971) "Geology of the resurgent cryptoexplosion crater at Mistastin Lake, Labrador". Geological Survey of Canada Bulletin 207, 62 p.
Currie, K.L. (1971) "The composition of anomalous plagioclase glass and coexisting plagioclase from Mistastin Lake, Labrador, Canada". Mineralogical Magazine, v. 38, pp. 511-517.
Grieve, R.A.F. (1975) "Petrology and chemistry of the impact melt at Mistastin Lake crater, Labrador". Geological Society of America Bulletin 86, pp. 1617-1629.
Mak, E.K.C. York, D., Grieve, R.A.F. and Dence, M.R. (1976) "The age of the Mistastin Lake crater, Labrador, Canada". Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 31, pp. 345-357.
Marchand, M. Crocket, J.H. (1977) "Sr isotopes and trace element geochemistry of the impact melt and target rocks at the Mistastin Lake crater, Labrador". Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 41, pp. 1487-1495.