This is not the Wells Creek
Earthcache, to claim credit for that you must go there. This
cache will not give you an Earthcache. See link below. Please
if you drive all the way here, go claim that one
too.
Between 100 and 200 million years ago,
a large meteorite struck earth around present-day Cumberland City
in Central Tennessee. A meteor near 1000 feet in diameter, weighing
in excess of 100 million tons and traveling at 10 miles per second
(36,000 mph) struck the earth at this location with a shattering
impact. Scientists believe it penetrated to a depth of around 2000
feet below the surface and exploded with the force of a
1000-megaton bomb. Shock waves raced in all directions,( Producing
Shatter Cones, see source below), and a fiery, mushroom cloud of
fine rock dust and debris rose high in the air. The impact created
a crater some 14.0-km (7.0-miles) in diameter, and one-half mile in
depth. Scientist believed the earth’s surface appeared to be
damaged forever. Millions of years passed and erosion and
vegetation softened this ugly scar left by the impact. The rim of
shattered rock disappeared, and the level of adjoining land was
lowered hundreds of feet by erosion. Since its discovery,
geologists have studied this phenomenon. It was discovered about
1860 when railroad construction revealed rock formations that
suggested a violent event had occurred. This crater is also known
as the Wells Creek impact structure.
As seen from space.
TENNESSEE METEOR CRATERS There are
three meteor craters located in Tennessee. The 3 mile Flynn Creek
Structure is northwest of Cookeville, TN. It is rather distorted
due to mountain building in East Tennessee. The Howell Structure is
nearly circular about one mile in diameter and is located in Middle
Tennessee north of Fayetteville at Howell. The biggest and best is
located west of Clarksville at Cumberland City. An elliptical
formation about 10 miles in diameter. It is know as the Wells Creek
Basin. Wells Creek and the Cumberland River join at the north wall
of the crater. These structures are remnants of the original as
nearly a 1000 ft of material may have been eroded away over
200,000,000 year period. Therefore the original craters were larger
and the actual age of each is hard to fix.
Learn more about meteorite impact
craters,from these sources.
Earth
Impact Database , Tennessee
Meteor Craters ,
American Musemum of Natural History ,
Terrestrial Impact Crater list , Tennessee
Landforms , Nature Notes ,
National Science Foundation
And Shatter Cones.
Wells
Creek Shatter Cones, University
of Tennessee
The Official Wells Creek Basin, Tennessee Historical Marker is ¼
mile down Hwy 149 on right, headed for Erin. That is the Wells
Creek Basin Earthcache
Click Here For Wells Creek Basin Earthcache
I hope to provide everyone with a better look at the highways
and byways of middle Tennessee.
I want to thank leavearock for inspiring me to place this cache,
Thank You.
And Scott for the advice. Thanks
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