Wolfe Creek crater
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Wolfe Creek is a meteorite impact crater (astrobleme) in Western Australia.[1],[2] It is accessed via the Tanami Road 105 km south of the town of Halls Creek. The crater is central to the Wolfe Creek Meteorite Crater National Park.[3]
The crater averages about 875 metres in diameter, 60 metres from rim to present crater floor and it is estimated that the meteorite that formed it had a mass of about 50,000 tonnes[3], while the age is estimated to be less than 300,000 years (Pleistocene).[2]
The local Djaru (Jaru) Aboriginal people know it as Kandimalal.[3] It was brought to the attention of science after being spotted during an aerial survey in 1947, investigated on the ground two months later, and reported in publication in 1949.[4] The European name for the crater comes from a nearby creek, which was in turn named after Robert Wolfe (early reports misspell the name as Wolf Creek), a prospector and storekeeper during the gold rush that established the town of Halls Creek.[5]
[edit] Trivia
The crater was featured in the 2005 horror film Wolf Creek, the plot of which included unusual electromagnetic activity in the surrounding area.
[edit] References
- ^ McNamara, K. Wolf Creek Crater illustrations by Ben Jackson. Perth, W.A : Western Australian Museum, 1982. ISBN 0-7244-9239-9
- ^ a b Wolfe Creek. Earth Impact Database. Planetary and Space Science Centre (April 26, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-06.
- ^ a b c Wolfe Creek Crater National Park. NatureBase National Parks. Department of Environment and Conservation, Government of Western Australia (2007). Retrieved on 2007-02-08.
- ^ Reeves F. & Chalmers R.O. 1949. The Wolf Creek crater. Australian Journal of Sciences 11, 145-156.
- ^ Wolf Creek Crater, Koongee Park - Alice Springs Rd, Halls Creek, WA. Australian Heritage Database. Retrieved on 2007-02-08.
