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CaliforniaPeggy

(149,308 posts)
Sat Jun 21, 2014, 05:41 PM Jun 2014

The Meteor Crater, Arizona:

My husband and I are making a little road trip, and this was on the agenda.

It's very interesting, and huge.

Behold:

From the parking lot:


Inside:


A piece of the meteor that survived the impact. It weighs about 1400 pounds, which is a little less than a Prius:


A view of the crater: About 20 football stadiums can fit inside...


Another view:


This shows where the original explorer dug several shafts as he looked in vain for the meteorite he thought would be buried underneath the crater:


A last look across the crater:





46 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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The Meteor Crater, Arizona: (Original Post) CaliforniaPeggy Jun 2014 OP
Wow! Excellent photos, Peggy! Rhiannon12866 Jun 2014 #1
My dear Rhiannon12866! CaliforniaPeggy Jun 2014 #2
I'm in New York, so it's far from what I'm used to, as well... Rhiannon12866 Jun 2014 #5
Great photos! And thanks for the flashback too! arcane1 Jun 2014 #3
You're very welcome, my dear arcane1! CaliforniaPeggy Jun 2014 #6
Did you look through the telescope at the space guy? OffWithTheirHeads Jun 2014 #4
Ah, no I didn't, my dear OffWithTheirHeads... CaliforniaPeggy Jun 2014 #8
This reminds me of that old National Lampoon News joke.... Walk away Jun 2014 #7
My dear Walk away! CaliforniaPeggy Jun 2014 #9
Can you walk down into it? n-t Logical Jun 2014 #10
Not literally into it, my dear Logical... CaliforniaPeggy Jun 2014 #11
So interesting. Thanks so much for posting. I have spend 30 minutes on Wiki reading about..... Logical Jun 2014 #13
One of my regrets... Wounded Bear Jun 2014 #12
Aw, my dear Wounded Bear... CaliforniaPeggy Jun 2014 #16
I so wanted to see that in the early 1960s aint_no_life_nowhere Jun 2014 #14
My dear aint_no_life_nowhere... CaliforniaPeggy Jun 2014 #17
I saw it as a kid in the '60s pinboy3niner Jun 2014 #46
Gees, I thought it'd be pics of Jan Brewer's Governor's Mansion. dballance Jun 2014 #15
My dear dballance! CaliforniaPeggy Jun 2014 #18
I live in Az and have never visited. panader0 Jun 2014 #19
My dear panader0! CaliforniaPeggy Jun 2014 #20
That's one of my favorite parts of the world! Nevernose Jun 2014 #21
My dear Nevernose! CaliforniaPeggy Jun 2014 #22
Visisted in the mid 80s as a child JesterCS Jun 2014 #23
Pretty amazing, huh? Fridays Child Jun 2014 #24
I love it! Enthusiast Jun 2014 #25
I remember this from the movie Starman. Separation Jun 2014 #26
How big is that chunk of meteor? alphafemale Jun 2014 #27
It's actually not that big, my dear alphafemale... CaliforniaPeggy Jun 2014 #29
Super cool, Peggy lovemydog Jun 2014 #28
That's on my bucket list. GoCubsGo Jun 2014 #30
Definitely worth a day trip, my dear GoCubsGo! CaliforniaPeggy Jun 2014 #35
Cool! I haven't been there since I was 10 years old. MineralMan Jun 2014 #31
I think there's nothing at that price nowadays, my dear MineralMan! CaliforniaPeggy Jun 2014 #36
Cool... WCGreen Jun 2014 #32
Thanks for coming by, Chris...Great to see you! CaliforniaPeggy Jun 2014 #37
Howdy! mwdem Jun 2014 #40
You're a great story teller CP! Thanks k&r Little Star Jun 2014 #33
Aw, thanks, my dear Little Star! CaliforniaPeggy Jun 2014 #38
I visited there and the Grand Canyon on the same trip. Jim Lane Jun 2014 #34
Oh, you're welcome, my dear Jim Lane! CaliforniaPeggy Jun 2014 #39
Took the family to see it a few years back,,, benld74 Jun 2014 #41
It was windy to beat the band, my dear benheld74! CaliforniaPeggy Jun 2014 #42
Barringer Meteor Crater Octafish Jun 2014 #43
I'm glad to help, my dear Octafish! CaliforniaPeggy Jun 2014 #44
Excellent post, CP! LeftofObama Jun 2014 #45

Rhiannon12866

(203,035 posts)
1. Wow! Excellent photos, Peggy!
Sat Jun 21, 2014, 05:46 PM
Jun 2014

I spent time in Arizona with my grandmother when she wintered there. Totally amazing country!

CaliforniaPeggy

(149,308 posts)
2. My dear Rhiannon12866!
Sat Jun 21, 2014, 05:55 PM
Jun 2014

Oh, thank you, sweetie!

I'm glad you enjoyed these. It is amazing country. Quite beautiful and full of great sights. Very different from what I'm used to!

Rhiannon12866

(203,035 posts)
5. I'm in New York, so it's far from what I'm used to, as well...
Sat Jun 21, 2014, 06:30 PM
Jun 2014

My grandmother was in Florence, between Phoenix and Tucson, so we went north to Flagstaff and south to the Grand Canyon and crossed the border into Mexico. Mexico wasn't a whole lot of fun; I was only in my mid teens and my father made me carry bottles of gin back with me, LOL. But the Grand Canyon was spectacular! And her neighbor would take us out on the desert on his ATV. It was quite a memorable trip!

 

arcane1

(38,613 posts)
3. Great photos! And thanks for the flashback too!
Sat Jun 21, 2014, 06:24 PM
Jun 2014

I visited there during my 2-week move to California. It was quite cool

 

OffWithTheirHeads

(10,337 posts)
4. Did you look through the telescope at the space guy?
Sat Jun 21, 2014, 06:24 PM
Jun 2014

If you decide to come to Tucson, you are welcome to stay at our home. ,just give me a heads up.

CaliforniaPeggy

(149,308 posts)
8. Ah, no I didn't, my dear OffWithTheirHeads...
Sat Jun 21, 2014, 06:33 PM
Jun 2014

I didn't hear about him!

And thank you for the invite! Awfully hospitable of you...

Walk away

(9,494 posts)
7. This reminds me of that old National Lampoon News joke....
Sat Jun 21, 2014, 06:33 PM
Jun 2014

"A large hole has appeared in Poland...Police are looking into it"

It's just insane how large a crater was created by a biggish rock.

CaliforniaPeggy

(149,308 posts)
9. My dear Walk away!
Sat Jun 21, 2014, 06:34 PM
Jun 2014

I hadn't heard that one..........thanks for the chuckle!

I kept thinking the same thing. So. Big.

CaliforniaPeggy

(149,308 posts)
11. Not literally into it, my dear Logical...
Sat Jun 21, 2014, 06:54 PM
Jun 2014

You can get down further than we did, though.

There are observation platforms partway down. I just didn't feel like climbing down and then up; it was windy today.

 

Logical

(22,457 posts)
13. So interesting. Thanks so much for posting. I have spend 30 minutes on Wiki reading about.....
Sat Jun 21, 2014, 07:07 PM
Jun 2014

that one and others. You made my day much more enjoyable and educational!!

Wounded Bear

(58,440 posts)
12. One of my regrets...
Sat Jun 21, 2014, 07:04 PM
Jun 2014

In all the years I lived in So Cal, I never made it over to the crater.

Thanks for the pics!

CaliforniaPeggy

(149,308 posts)
16. Aw, my dear Wounded Bear...
Sat Jun 21, 2014, 08:28 PM
Jun 2014

I'm sorry you never got there.

But you know, we all have regrets about things like this...

I'm really glad you enjoyed my pictures!

aint_no_life_nowhere

(21,925 posts)
14. I so wanted to see that in the early 1960s
Sat Jun 21, 2014, 07:11 PM
Jun 2014

when I was a young boy and our family traveled through Arizona. I saw it on the map as we drove across northern Arizona heading to California. I believe at the time it wasn't called the meteor crater. I don't remember the name but I think it was listed on the map as a crater but not as a meteor crater.

CaliforniaPeggy

(149,308 posts)
17. My dear aint_no_life_nowhere...
Sat Jun 21, 2014, 08:32 PM
Jun 2014

You know, they told us when this opened and now I can't remember!

It probably was the same crater........there's only one in the area.

For a long time, it was thought that this had been a volcanic crater, but that was a mistake.

It was the first meteor crater to be discovered.

pinboy3niner

(53,339 posts)
46. I saw it as a kid in the '60s
Mon Jun 23, 2014, 06:12 AM
Jun 2014

But after seeing things like 'Godzilla' and 'The Blob,' I wasn't terribly impressed as a kid by a depression in the ground. I was more excited about Disneyland.

And they didn't have a huge visitors' center then with all those displays and educational info. That new center is a great addition!

 

dballance

(5,756 posts)
15. Gees, I thought it'd be pics of Jan Brewer's Governor's Mansion.
Sat Jun 21, 2014, 07:20 PM
Jun 2014

/end snark.

Good pics. If I'm ever in that neighborhood I'll have to visit. I'm glad to you that pic of people standing on an observation platform. It really does provide scale.

CaliforniaPeggy

(149,308 posts)
18. My dear dballance!
Sat Jun 21, 2014, 08:37 PM
Jun 2014

You are too funny!

I hope you can visit...it is certainly worth seeing in person.

It doesn't look all that big......until you see the people looking into it. During the 10 minute movie presentation, they show the crater filled with 20 football stadiums and all the people as they would be sitting around those stadiums. It was amazing.

Glad you enjoyed the pics!



CaliforniaPeggy

(149,308 posts)
20. My dear panader0!
Sat Jun 21, 2014, 08:57 PM
Jun 2014

And isn't that always the way? There's so much in Los Angeles that we have never seen as well...

You practically have to move away to see things you used to live near.

Glad you enjoyed my little tour!

CaliforniaPeggy

(149,308 posts)
22. My dear Nevernose!
Sun Jun 22, 2014, 12:29 AM
Jun 2014

We like it too!

Tomorrow we leave for Page and the Antelope Canyon. I've seen the pictures folks have taken there, and I want some of my own!

JesterCS

(1,827 posts)
23. Visisted in the mid 80s as a child
Sun Jun 22, 2014, 01:35 AM
Jun 2014

I don't remember much, other than it's a huge damn hole in the ground. lol

Fridays Child

(23,998 posts)
24. Pretty amazing, huh?
Sun Jun 22, 2014, 03:35 AM
Jun 2014

I visited the crater, in the late '70s. The exhibits have probably been updated, since then, but I'm thinking that the crater hasn't changed very much, over the last 30+ years.

Nice to have you in Arizona, by the way.

Separation

(1,975 posts)
26. I remember this from the movie Starman.
Sun Jun 22, 2014, 04:59 AM
Jun 2014

It had Jeff Bridges, Martin Sheen, and Karen Allen. A really good movie IMO

Each time I transferred across country I always said we would stop and see this. For one reason or another we had to skip it.

On my last transfer though, we did stop at the Grand Canyon. It actually took my breath away seeing it for the first time. We would have loved to stay for a few days and take the train, do the donkey trail. But as always, time constraints we could only stay for a day. We did stop at all the corny road stops though, biggest TeePee, ball of yarn, rattler farm, etc.

 

alphafemale

(18,497 posts)
27. How big is that chunk of meteor?
Sun Jun 22, 2014, 05:50 AM
Jun 2014

There's really nothing to give it any scale in that photo.

I guesstimate 4-5' ish?

The building is architecturally astounding as well. The entrance at least. (The buildings in back look like a junior HS circa 1972.)

But the entrance blends perfectly with the landscape and also echos the crater itself a bit.


CaliforniaPeggy

(149,308 posts)
29. It's actually not that big, my dear alphafemale...
Sun Jun 22, 2014, 10:05 AM
Jun 2014

My husband was thinking maybe a couple of feet at most in diameter.

Dunno!

VERY dense and heavy.

The building is new, just finished in the last couple of months or so.

We really enjoyed the exhibits.

lovemydog

(11,833 posts)
28. Super cool, Peggy
Sun Jun 22, 2014, 06:08 AM
Jun 2014

I love those humongous craters. It really gives us a sense of how tiny we are, and how powerful nature can be. Thanks for sharing!

GoCubsGo

(32,061 posts)
30. That's on my bucket list.
Sun Jun 22, 2014, 01:45 PM
Jun 2014

The way things are going, I'm going to get stuck moving back in with my family. Fortunately, they live in Phoenix, so Meteor Crater is not that long of a haul. Thanks for giving me some incentive to get off my butt and make some moves to get out of here.

MineralMan

(146,192 posts)
31. Cool! I haven't been there since I was 10 years old.
Sun Jun 22, 2014, 04:33 PM
Jun 2014

I still have the little piece of meteorite I bought in the gift shop. I think it was 50 cents.

 

Jim Lane

(11,175 posts)
34. I visited there and the Grand Canyon on the same trip.
Sun Jun 22, 2014, 07:25 PM
Jun 2014

It's a striking juxtaposition of two nearby phenomena -- the Grand Canyon, carved out over millions of years, and Meteor Crater, created in an instant.

Thanks for the memory!

CaliforniaPeggy

(149,308 posts)
39. Oh, you're welcome, my dear Jim Lane!
Sun Jun 22, 2014, 09:12 PM
Jun 2014

I hadn't thought of it that way..........thanks for making that connection!

They are both amazing places.

benld74

(9,889 posts)
41. Took the family to see it a few years back,,,
Sun Jun 22, 2014, 09:38 PM
Jun 2014

the day after seeing the GC. Took off from Flagstaff, east on 40. I kinda knew where I was going and what I wanted to see, the family didnt have any idea. They thought it ws pretty cool. ALong with the obligatory stop at Winslow, petrified forest etc.
Was it windy when you were there? Out tie was in April, and we had w-i-n-d to contend with at the Crater. Once can sii it on Google maps if your interested.

CaliforniaPeggy

(149,308 posts)
42. It was windy to beat the band, my dear benheld74!
Sun Jun 22, 2014, 11:45 PM
Jun 2014

My husband had heard of it and wanted to see it so we went!

We enjoyed it a lot, along with the history and geology of the place.

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