Kgagodi crater

Last updated

Kgagodi crater
Kgagodi crater D3C1219-200530A011.jpg
Kgagodi crater in 1984
Impact crater/structure
ConfidenceConfirmed
Diameter3.5 km (2.2 mi)
Age <180 Ma
~Cretaceous
ExposedYes
DrilledYes
Location
Location Kalahari Basin
Coordinates 22°29′S27°35′E / 22.483°S 27.583°E / -22.483; 27.583
CountryFlag of Botswana.svg Botswana
District Central
Botswana location map.svg
Map pointer.svg
Location of the crater in Botswana

Kgagodi is an exposed meteorite impact crater in Botswana. It is located south of the village of Kgagodi in Central Botswana. It is considered the first impact structure to be recognized in the Kalahari Desert region of southern Africa, with an estimated age ranging from the late Cretaceous to early Tertiary period. It is a simple, bowl-shaped structure with a diameter of 3.5 km (2.2 mi), buried beneath sediments, and lacking a prominent surface expression.

Contents

Discovery and location

Kgagodi meteorite impact crater is located south of the village of Kgagodi in Central Botswana. [1] The crater first came to attention in 1997, when a water-drilling expedition came across an elliptical-shaped structure filled with sediment. The Geological Survey of Botswana then drilled a core sample from 274 m (899 ft) deep, which suggested it may be an impact structure. Impact breccia were soon discovered, confirming Kgagodi as an impact crater. [2] It is considered the first impact structure to be recognized in the Kalahari Desert region of southern Africa. [3]

Structure and formation

The crater is about 3.5 km (2.2 mi) in diameter. [2] It is estimated to have been formed in the late Cretaceous to early Tertiary Period. [3] It is a simple, bowl-shaped structure buried beneath sediments, and lacking a prominent surface expression. [4] Its formation involved extreme pressures generating shockwaves that penetrated the target material, a rapid process typically completed within minutes. [5] Analysis of aeromagnetic data revealed a smooth magnetic signature over the basin, indicating younger sediment fill, and identified two cross-cutting lineaments. [5] The basin's geology suggests it could be an intersection of two fault lines, with the shallow basin fill consisting of low resistive materials that may correspond to saturated sediments, implying good groundwater potential. [4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Kgagodi". Earth Impact Database . Planetary and Space Science Centre University of New Brunswick Fredericton . Retrieved 1 June 2009.
  2. 1 2 Brandt, D.; Holmes, H.; Reimold, W. U.; Paya, B. K.; Koeberl, C.; Hancox, P. J. (2002). "Kgagodi Basin: The first impact structure recognized in Botswana". Meteoritics and Planetary Science. 37 (12): 1765. Bibcode:2002M&PS...37.1765B. doi: 10.1111/j.1945-5100.2002.tb01162.x . S2CID   128680112.
  3. 1 2 D. Brandt (January 2010). "Kgagodi Basin: The first impact structure recognized in Botswana". Meteoritics & Planetary Science. 37 (12): 1765–1779. doi:10.1111/j.1945-5100.2002.tb01162.x . Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  4. 1 2 "The Geophysical Signatures of the Kgagodi Basin, Central Botswana". Afribary. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  5. 1 2 The Geophysical Signatures of the Kgagodi Basin, Central Botswana (PDF). Botswana International University of Science and Technology (Report). Retrieved 1 July 2025.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.