Whitecourt Crater EarthCache
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Quad, Hike or Mountain Bike into this remote area and discover a crater from a meteorite! http://wiccache.blogspot.ca/
The Whitecourt Impact crater is located in a remote and heavily wooded forest about 20 km south of Whitecourt. Local hunters for many years referred to the site as a sinkhole. George VanderBurg, MLA for Whitecourt-Ste.Anne recalled going hunting and using the site as a meeting spot. Wildlife could often be found drinking the rainwater that had collected at the bottom of the basin. Two brothers, Rod and Sonny Stevens, on July 1, 2007 set out with metal detectors and found four fragments buried adjacent to a circular hollow. They contacted the University of Alberta’s department of earth and atmospheric sciences to confirm that the findings were indeed meteorites. The site is extremely rare as it one of a dozen craters in the whole world that has associated meteorites. Experts estimate that about 1100 years ago a meteor the size of a big tree trunk fell to the earth creating the crater. The crater is 36 metres wide and nine meters deep and has the appearance of a bowl. The second youngest crater in Canada is located in Quebec and thought to be 1.2 million years old. “The meteorites collected from the WMIC, classified as type IIIAB iron, consist of almost entirely of jagged shrapnel. The fragments collected outside the crater are slightly weathered and have no fusion crust or regmaglypts. They are all of mm to cm scale with masses typically in the tens of grams, the largest being 1.2kg”.[(source:40th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2009) 1942.pdf] The province of Alberta has designated the site as a historic resource and is protected under the Alberta Historical Resources Act. Signs clearly mark a zone where it is illegal to collect or dig. Penalties include a $50,000 fine and/or a year imprisonment. Outside this area are public lands, where hunting is permitted and ANYONE OUTSIDE OF THIS ZONE IS FREE TO TAKE/KEEP WHATEVER METEROITES THEY FIND. For purposes of scientific research you are asked to fill out The Whitecourt Meteorite: report formhttp://eas.ualberta.ca/crater If you happen to find a meteorite they want the GPS cords…so not only do we get to see this amazing spot but as an earthcacher we can contribute to the ongoing research. Meteorite Identification Questions: 1. Does the specimen feel unusually heavy for its size? (Yes = possible meteorite) Many meteorites, particularly iron meteorites, are quite dense and feel heavier than most rocks found on Earth. 2. Does the specimen attract a magnet? (Yes = possible meteorite) Almost all meteorites contain some iron-nickel metal and attract a magnet easily. 3. Can you see gray metal specks shining on any broken surface of the specimen? (Yes = possible meteorite) Most meteorites contain at least some iron-nickel metal. These fragments may be seen shining on a chipped surface. 4. Does the specimen have a thin black crust on its outer surface? (Yes = possible meteorite) When a meteor falls through the Earth’s atmosphere, a very thin layer on the outer surface of the rock melts. This thin layer is called a fusion crust. It is usually black and had the texture of an eggshell. 5. Does the specimen appear to have ‘thumbprints or dents’ on its surface? (Yes = possible meteorite) Often, when a meteor falls though the Earth’s atmosphere, these thumbprint-like features called regmaglypts form on the surface. 6. Does the specimen have any holes or bubbles in it? (No = possible meteorite) Meteorites do not have holes or bubbles. Slag from industrial processes usually has holes or bubbles. If the answers to questions 1 and 2 are No, then the rock is almost certainly Not a meteorite. If the rock is actually a meteorite, then the answers to most of questions 1 through 5 should be Yes, and question 6 should be No. (source http://research.eas.ualberta.ca/whitecourt/ ) To log this Earthcache please e-mail the answers to these questions: 1) What direction is the raised rim? Is it the highest point of the crater? Why/or why not? 2) Compare the vegetation inside the crater to the outside: i.e. types, size, and density. Does it indicate evidence of soil development?
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