Victoria Island structure
Encyclopedia
The Victoria Island structure is a 5.5 km bowl-shaped structure buried in the shale sediments of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, 12 miles (19.3 km) west of Stockton, California
. The circular structure is part of a former sea bed, and lies 1,490–1,600 meters (4,890–4,250 ft) below sea level.
Discovered during oil exploration
and reported at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference
in Houston, Texas in March 2007, it is thought to be a buried impact crater
formed between 37 and 49 million years ago.
Victoria Island
, which the structure is named for, is in the San Joaquin River Delta at approximately 37.890°N 121.535°W. The current publications do not list a more precise location for the impact structure than the island.
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
. The circular structure is part of a former sea bed, and lies 1,490–1,600 meters (4,890–4,250 ft) below sea level.
Discovered during oil exploration
Oil exploration
Hydrocarbon exploration is the search by petroleum geologists and geophysicists for hydrocarbon deposits beneath the Earth's surface, such as oil and natural gas...
and reported at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference
Lunar and Planetary Science Conference
The Lunar and Planetary Science Conference , jointly sponsored by the Lunar and Planetary Institute and NASA Johnson Space Center , brings together international specialists in petrology, geochemistry, geophysics, geology and astronomy to present the latest results of research in planetary science...
in Houston, Texas in March 2007, it is thought to be a buried impact 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...
formed between 37 and 49 million years ago.
Victoria Island
Victoria Island (California)
Victoria Island is an island in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in San Joaquin County, California, twenty kilometres southwest of Stockton...
, which the structure is named for, is in the San Joaquin River Delta at approximately 37.890°N 121.535°W. The current publications do not list a more precise location for the impact structure than the island.