Serpent Mound crater

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Serpent Mound crater
Serpent Mound crater 1974 1VDHV00040075.jpg
Air photo showing the perimeter of Serpent Mound crater, in 1974
Impact crater/structure
ConfidenceConfirmed
Diameter8 kilometres (5.0 mi)
Age < 320 Ma
ExposedYes
DrilledYes
Oblique air photo of central Serpent Mound crater Serpent Mound Crater.jpg
Oblique air photo of central Serpent Mound crater

Serpent Mound crater, also known as the Serpent Mound Disturbance, [1] is an eroded meteorite impact crater in Ohio, United States. It lies largely in Adams County, with the northern part mostly in Highland County, except for a small northeast part in Pike County. [2] [3]

It is classified as a complex crater because it features a central uplift, a transition zone, and a ring graben (a ring-shaped trough in the outer part of the crater). Although eroded, the original rim diameter has been estimated at 8 km (5.0 mi) and the age is estimated to be less than 320 million years (Mississippian or younger). [2] However, a 2010 paper suggested that the maximum rim diameter is 14 kilometres (8.7 mi). [4]

The crater is named after the Serpent Mound, an effigy mound, located on a plateau in Brush Creek Valley within the crater. European-American explorers had already noted the unusual terrain in the 19th century, and it is often speculated that the odd geological features inspired Native Americans to construct the mound at that location. [5]

In 1980, the Serpent Mound Cryptoexplosive Structure was designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service. [6]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adams County, Ohio</span> County in Ohio, United States

Adams County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,477. Its county seat and largest village is West Union. The county is named after John Adams, the second President of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volcanic cone</span> Landform of ejecta from a volcanic vent piled up in a conical shape

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kentland crater</span> Impact structure in Indiana, United States

The Kentland structure, also known as the Kentland crater or the Kentland disturbed area, is an impact structure located near the town of Kentland in Newton County, Indiana, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middlesboro crater</span> Impact crater in Kentucky

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Popigai impact structure</span> Impact crater in Siberia, Russia

The Popigai impact structure is the eroded remnant of an impact crater in northern Siberia, Russia. It is tied with the Manicouagan structure as the fourth largest verified impact structure on Earth. A large bolide impact created the 100-kilometre (62 mi) diameter crater approximately 35 million years ago during the late Eocene epoch. It might be linked to the Eocene–Oligocene extinction event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puchezh-Katunki crater</span> Meteor crater located in Russia

Puchezh-Katunki is a meteor crater located in the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast of the Volga Federal District, Russia. It is 80 km (50 mi) in diameter. Argon–argon dating has constrained the age of formation to be 195.9 ± 1.0 million years old, placing it within the Sinemurian stage of the Early Jurassic. The crater is not exposed to the surface, but appears as variation in the vegetation. The Earth Impact Database lists a rim-to-rim diameter of 40 kilometres (25 mi).

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The Great Serpent Mound is a 1,348-feet-long (411 m), three-feet-high prehistoric effigy mound located in Peebles, Ohio. It was built on what is known as the Serpent Mound crater plateau, running along the Ohio Brush Creek in Adams County, Ohio. The mound is the largest serpent effigy known in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antoniadi (lunar crater)</span> Lunar surface depression

Antoniadi is a large lunar impact crater that lies on the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. The crater intrudes into the southeastern rim of the crater Minnaert, a slightly smaller formation that is significantly more eroded. Attached to the eastern rim of Antoniadi is Numerov, another large, ancient crater similar to Minnaert. Due south of Antoniadi is the small crater Brashear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korolev (lunar crater)</span> Lunar impact crater

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohio Brush Creek</span> River

Ohio Brush Creek is a 59.9-mile-long (96.4 km) tributary of the Ohio River in southern Ohio in the United States. Via the Ohio River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 435 square miles (1,130 km2). According to the Geographic Names Information System, it has also been known historically as "Brush Creek," "Elk Creek," and "Little Scioto River".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bratton Township, Ohio</span> Township in Ohio, United States

Bratton Township is one of the fifteen townships of Adams County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,380 at the 2020 census.

Highlands Sanctuary, Inc. is a nonprofit organization which operates under the dba of The Arc of Appalachia Preserve System. The Arc of Appalachia has been in operation since 1995, working to create and steward nature preserves in the forested Appalachian counties of southern Ohio. In 2016, The Arc of Appalachia had completed the protection of 4268 acres in 15 preserve regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charity Shoal crater</span>

The Charity Shoal crater is a 1.2–1.4 kilometers (0.75–0.87 mi) in diameter circular feature that lies submerged beneath the northeast end of Lake Ontario about 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) southwest of Wolfe Island, and 25 kilometers (16 mi) south of Kingston, Ontario at about latitude 44° 02′ N and longitude 76° 29′ W. It is hypothesized to be a Middle Ordovician impact crater.

References

  1. Reidel, S.P.; Koucky, F.L.; Stryker, R.J (1982). "The Serpent Mound disturbance, south central Ohio". Am. J. Sci. 282 (9): 1343–1375. doi: 10.2475/ajs.282.9.1343 .
  2. 1 2 "Serpent Mound". Earth Impact Database . Planetary and Space Science Centre University of New Brunswick Fredericton . Retrieved 2012-02-07.
  3. "Subsurface Geology of the Serpent Mound Disturbance of Adams, Highland, and Pike Counties, Ohio." Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological Survey. PDF Archived 2010-11-28 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 10 April 2007)
  4. Milam, Keith A. (June 2010). "A Revised Diameter for the Serpent Mound Impact Crater in Southern Ohio" (PDF). The Ohio Journal of Science. 110 (3): 34–43. Bibcode:2011LPI....42.2797M. hdl:1811/52788 . Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  5. "Unearthing clues at Serpent Mound: Geologists find evidence of a meteor crash near prehistoric monument in Adams County". The Plain Dealer. March 3, 1997. p. 1A. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  6. "National Natural Landmarks - National Natural Landmarks (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2019-03-26. Year designated: 1980

39°2′N83°24′W / 39.033°N 83.400°W / 39.033; -83.400