Wetumpka crater
Videos
The Wetumpka impact crater is the only confirmed impact crater in Alabama, United States. It is located east of downtown Wetumpka in Elmore County. The crater is 4.7 miles in diameter, and its age is
Wetumpka Impact Crater historic marker
Pingualuit aerial 2007
Shocked quartz
Videos
Shocked quartz is a form of quartz that has a microscopic structure that is different from normal quartz. Under intense pressure, the crystalline structure of quartz is deformed along planes inside th
Wetumpka crater
…article on the subject in 1976. However, conclusive evidence of impact origin was lacking until 1998 when David T. King, Jr. and colleagues discovered shocked quartz in a core drilled near the center of the structure. In 2002, Auburn University researchers published evidence and established the site as an internationally…
Photomicrograph of shocked quartz
Photomicrograph of a shocked quartz grain (0.13 mm across) from the Chesapeake Bay impact crater, showing shock lamellae