[meteorite-list] An Alaskan Impact Structure and Some False Leads?

From: Keith <littlejo_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:08:28 2004
Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.4.33.0209192225460.13417-100000_at_katie.vnet.net>

+++ Avak Impact Structure +++

The Avak Structure is the only verified impact structure
that has been reported from Alaska.

Buthman, D. V. (1997) Global hydrocarbon potential of
impact structures. In Ames structure in northwest
Oklahoma and similar features; origin and petroleum
production (1995 symposium), K.S. Johnson and J. A.
Campbell, eds., pp. 83-99, Circular no. 100. Oklahoma
Geological Survey, University of Oklahoma. Norman,
OK.

Buthman, D. V. (1998) Global hydrocarbon potential of
impact structures. Annual Meeting Expanded Abstracts -
American Association of Petroleum
Geologists. 1998. American Association of Petroleum
Geologists and Society of Economic Paleontologists and
Mineralogists. Tulsa, OK,

Cassidy, W. A., and E. G. Lidiak (1980) Avak Crater;
probably meteoritic. Meteoritics. vol. 15, no. 4, p. 271.

Kirschner, C. E., and A. Grantz (1990) Impact origin of
the Avak structure, Arctic Alaska, and genesis of the
Barrow gas fields. American Association of Petroleum
Geologists Bulletin. vol. 74, no. 5, p. 696.

Kirschner, C. E., A. Grantz, and M. W. Mullen (1992)
Impact origin of the Avak Structure, Arctic Alaska, and
genesis of the Barrow gas fields. American Association
of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin. vol. 76, no. 5,
p. 651-679.

Koeberl, C., and R. R. Anderson (1996) Manson and
Company: Impact structures in the United States. In C.
Koeberl and R. R. Anderson, eds., pp. 1-29, The Manson
impact structure, Iowa: Anatomy of an impact crater:
Special Paper no. 302, Geological Society of America,
Boulder, CO.

Sharpton, V. L. (1999) Meteorite impact in Alaska. In
Science in the North; 50 years of change; program and
abstracts, P. A. Anderson, chairperson, Program and
Abstracts - Arctic Science Conference. vol. 50, pp. 182-183.
American Association for the Advancement of Science,
Washington, D.C.

Therriault, A. M., and A. Grantz (1995) Planar
deformation features in quartz grains from mixed breccia
of the Avak Structure, Alaska. Abstracts of Papers
Submitted to the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference
vol. 26, Part 3; pp. 1403-1404. Lunar and Planetary
Science Conference. Houston, TX.

Web Pages

1. Kirschner, C.E., Grantz, A., Mullen, M.W., 1992,
Impact origin of the Avak Structure, Arctic Alaska, and
Genesis of the Barrow Gas Fields: American Association
of Pertroleum Geologists Bulletin, v.76, no. 5, 651-679.
http://nome.colorado.edu/HARC_noframes/abstract/CEK92.html

"Geophysical and subsurface geologic data suggest that
the Avak structure, which underlies the Arctic Coastal
Plain 12 km southeast of Barrow, Alaska, is a
hypervelocity meteorite or comet impact structure. The
structure is a roughly circular area of uplifted,
chaotically deformed Upper Triassic to Lower Cretaceous
sedimentary rocks 8 km in diameter that is bounded by a
ring of anastomosing, inwardly dipping, listric normal
faults 12 km in diameter."

2. Alaska's Deep Impact on the North Slope Article #1460
by Ned Rozell
http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF14/1460.html

3. Buck Sharpton
http://www.gi.alaska.edu/remsense/personal/bsharpton.htm

4. The G.I.S.P. "Craterbase" Avak
http://gisp.gi.alaska.edu/craterbase/avak/avak.htm

5. North American impact structures hold giant field
potential at:

http://www.edge.ou.edu/news/Donofrio.PDF

+++ Lake Savonoski ++++

Likely not an impact crater but still a mystery.

French, B. M. and E. H. Miller (1969) Savonoski Crater,
Alaska ; a possible meteorite impact structure.
Meteoritics. vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 174-175.

French, B. M., E. M. Muller, and P. L. Ward (1972)
Savonoski Crater, Alaska; a possible meteorite impact
structure. Meteoritics. vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 97-107.

 Web Pages

1. The Savonoski Problem Article #250 by T. Neil Davis
http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF2/250.html

In that article, Davis stated:

"So far, Savonoski Crater is one of life's deep dark
mysteries."

and

"If Savonoski Crater was not formed by a meteorite, the
best bet is that it is a volcanic maar."

++++ Sithylemenkat Lake ++++

Patton and Miller (1978) failed to find any field
evidence that Sithylemenkat Lake was an impact crater.
They suggested that this lake is of glacial origin.

Some References:

Anderson, P. M., R. E. Reanier, and L. B. Brubaker (1990)
A 14,000-year pollen record from Sithylemenkat lake,
north-central Alaska. Quaternary Research vol. 33,
pp. 400-404.

Cannon, P. J. (1977) Meteorite impact crater discovered
in central Alaska with Landsat imagery. Science.
vol. 196, no. 4296, pp. 1322-1324.

Patton, W. W., Jr., T. P. Miller, and P. J. Cannon (1978)
Meteorite impact crater in central Alaska. Science.
vol. 201, no. 4352, pp. 279-280.

Alaskan Meteorites
http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF1/191.html

Have Fun

Keith
New Orleans, LA
Received on Thu 19 Sep 2002 10:27:29 PM PDT