We’re now standing at the very center of Barringer Crater. Somewhere above us is ground zero where the 300,000 ton, 40 meter diameter nickel- iron meteorite struck around 50,000 years ago. The fresh crater would have been even deeper than it is today beacuse we’re standing on 30 meters of sediments that were deposited in a lake when this part of Arizona was much wetter than today.
| Panoramic Photo Looking Back Toward the Caretaker Trail Photo: G. Osinski, Canadian Space Agency Location: Center of the crater floor Scale: Height from the floor to the crater rim is approximately 180 meters |  |
| Tear Fault at the Southeast Corner of Barringer Crater Photo: G. Osinski, Canadian Space Agency Location: Center of the crater floor Scale: Height from the floor to the crater rim is approximately 180 meters In this photo, notice how a prominent layer of the Kaibab Formation (dashed white line) is offset along a fault. |  |
| Equipment from Drilling Operation on the Crater Floor Photo: G. Osinski, Canadian Space Agency Location: Center of the crater floor Scale: Height from the floor to the crater rim is approximately 180 meters In this photo are the remains of a steam boiler and winch that were used to operate the hoist in the main drill shaft. The shaft, located very close to the center of the crater, was expected to encounter the large iron meteorite that Daniel Barringer thought was buried beneath. However, none was encountered and he later concluded that most of the meteorite impactor had either melted, vaporized, or been ejected out of the crater. To learn more about Daniel Barringer’s early exploration of Barringer Crater, visit The Barringer Meteorite Crater website. |  |
| 360 Degree Panoramic Photo from the Floor of Barringer Crater Photo: G. Osinski, Canadian Space Agency Location: Center of the crater floor Scale: Height from the floor to the crater rim is approximately 180 meters |  |
| Media: Geologists Gordon Osinski and Elisabetta Pierazzo near crater center. | View or download media file (.mp4) |
| Media: 360 degree panorama of Barringer crater from the crater floor | View or download media file (.mp4) |
| Media: View of the Caretaker Trail up to the crater rim | View or download media file (.mp4) |
| Media: Gordon Osinski talks about the mining shafts and Daniel Barringer | View or download media file (.mp4) |
