Chesapeake Bay impact crater

Chesapeake Bay impact crater
Location of impact site in relation to North America
Impact crater/structure
ConfidenceConfirmed
Diameter53 miles (85 km)
Depth0.81 miles (1.3 km)
Impactor diameter1.9 miles (3 km)
Age35.5 ± 0.3 million
ExposedNo
DrilledYes
Bolide typeL chondrite[1]
Location
LocationChesapeake Bay
Coordinates37°17′N 76°1′W / 37.283°N 76.017°W / 37.283; -76.017[2]
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia
MunicipalityCape Charles
Impact location is located in Virginia
Impact location
Impact location
Location of impact site in Virginia
AccessU.S. Route 13 to S.R. 184

The Chesapeake Bay impact crater is a buried impact crater, located beneath the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, United States. It was formed by a bolide that struck the eastern shore of North America about 35.5 ± 0.3 million years ago, in the late Eocene epoch. It is one of the best-preserved "wet-target" impact craters in the world.[3]

Continued slumping of sediments over the rubble of the crater has helped shape the Chesapeake Bay.

  1. ^ Schmitz, Birger; Boschi, Samuele; Cronholm, Anders; Heck, Philipp R.; Monechi, Simonetta; Montanari, Alessandro; Terfelt, Fredrik (2015). "Fragments of Late Eocene Earth-impacting asteroids linked to disturbance of asteroid belt" (PDF). Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 425: 77–83. Bibcode:2015E&PSL.425...77S. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2015.05.041. ISSN 0012-821X.
  2. ^ "Chesapeake Bay". Earth Impact Database. Planetary and Space Science Centre University of New Brunswick Fredericton. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  3. ^ "Chesapeake Bay impact structure: Morphology, crater fill, and relevance for impact structures on Mars". USGS. United States Geological Survey. 2006. Retrieved 5 March 2019.