Earth Impact Database
Encyclopedia
The Earth Impact Database is the authoritative source for information on confirmed impact structure
s or crater
s on Earth
. It was initiated in 1955 by the Dominion Observatory
, Ottawa, under the direction of Dr. Carlyle S. Beals
. It is now maintained as a not-for-profit source of information at the Planetary and Space Science Centre at the University of New Brunswick
, Canada.
The database currently lists 178 confirmed impact sites.
Other comprehensive lists are wider in scope by including more than just confirmed sites, such as probable, possible, suspected and rejected/discredited impact sites on their lists. These are used for screening and tracking study of possible impact sites. The reason to retain rejected sites on such a list is because they may be, and often are, reported again. Sites will appear first in these lists while under study and may "graduate" to UNB's Earth Impact Database after confirmation and collection of enough information about the site to satisfy the database's strict entry criteria.
Impact structure
The term impact structure is closely related to the terms impact crater or meteorite impact crater, and is used in cases where erosion or burial have destroyed or masked the original topographic feature with which we normally associate the term crater...
s or crater
Impact crater
In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...
s on Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. It was initiated in 1955 by the Dominion Observatory
Dominion Observatory
The Dominion Observatory was an astronomical observatory in Ottawa, Canada that operated from 1902 to 1970. The Observatory was also an institution within the Canadian Federal Government. The observatory grew out of the Department of the Interior's need for the precise coordinates and timekeeping...
, Ottawa, under the direction of Dr. Carlyle S. Beals
Carlyle Smith Beals
Carlyle Smith Beals, was a Canadian astronomer.Born in Canso, Nova Scotia, Beals worked at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, Victoria, BC, until 1946. There, he studied emission lines in the spectra of certain hot stars, and studied gas clouds in the interstellar medium...
. It is now maintained as a not-for-profit source of information at the Planetary and Space Science Centre at the University of New Brunswick
University of New Brunswick
The University of New Brunswick is a Canadian university located in the province of New Brunswick. UNB is the oldest English language university in Canada and among the first public universities in North America. The university has two main campuses: the original campus founded in 1785 in...
, Canada.
The database currently lists 178 confirmed impact sites.
Other comprehensive lists are wider in scope by including more than just confirmed sites, such as probable, possible, suspected and rejected/discredited impact sites on their lists. These are used for screening and tracking study of possible impact sites. The reason to retain rejected sites on such a list is because they may be, and often are, reported again. Sites will appear first in these lists while under study and may "graduate" to UNB's Earth Impact Database after confirmation and collection of enough information about the site to satisfy the database's strict entry criteria.
- Impact Database (formerly Suspected Earth Impact Sites (SEIS)), Impact Field Studies GroupImpact Field Studies GroupThe Impact Field Studies Group is a scientific organization emphasizing geologic field research of suspected and confirmed sites of impact craters and impact structures. The group is composed of researchers, professionals and students involved in study of impact sites...
(IFSG) - Catalogue of the Earth's Impact structures, Siberian Center for Global Catastrophes
External links
- Impact Meteor Crater Viewer Google Maps Page with Locations of Meteor Craters around the world