Craters in landforms refer to an (often) fairly round hole in the
ground and can be formed by different mechanisms. There are several
types of naturally formed craters, which include:
- Impact crater, caused by two celestial bodies impacting each
other, such as a meteorite hitting a planet
- Volcanic crater or caldera, formed by volcanic activity
- A maar crater, a relief crater caused by a phreatic eruption
(when rising magma makes contact with ground or surface water) or
explosion
- Explosion crater, a hole formed in the ground produced by an
explosion near or below the surface
Henbury craters are of the first type and were formed by the
impact of a meteorite. They have been known since 1899, when Mr.
Park (the manager of Henbury station, hence the name) discovered
them. He assumed that the craters were manmade. The meteorite broke
up into smaller pieces while travelling to the impact site.
Per the sign at the location, how many larger pieces did it
break up into and what size were they?
Impact craters not only occur on Earth, but also on other
planets, as long as they have a hard shell, as well as the Earth's
and other moons. When you look at the moon, you will see hundreds
of craters, while they are quite hard to identify on planet
Earth.
Explain why there are so many fewer craters on Earth to
see?
Henbury craters are of significance due to their complex
geological structure and have helped interpret and explain features
on other planets such as Mars.
Who visited the craters in order to prepare for a trip?
The largest crater at the site is "Water Crater", which collects
water from a creek that occasionally flows into it. Due to the
water the soil is richer and allows tall Whitewood trees and
grasses to grow. This in turn provides food and shelter for many
species of mammals and birds, such as xxx, yyy, zzz (see sign at
location).
What animals are xxx, yyy, zzz?
To log this cache, please answer the questions above. You may
log right away, but make sure you send the answers via
geocaching.com to my email address. I will contact you if I find
your answers inadequate. Please note that you will only be able to
retrieve some answers on site, others will require a web search, or
reading of a book.
Enjoy the wonderful site in the middle of Australia! If you like
feel free to post a pic of you and / or your GPSr or of the
craters. Please do not post photos of the signs on site.