[meteorite-list] Ohio Impact Structures - 1 New and 1 Old

From: Keith <littlejo_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:08:33 2004
Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.4.33.0209291426030.27691-100000_at_katie.vnet.net>

+++ Liberty Structure +++

The new, proposed impact structure, which appears to
have a partially preserved crater is known as the Liberty
Structure. Although the amount of evidence suggestive of
of it being an impact crater is substantial, it still has
not been accepted as one. The main deficit in the data
so far collected is any evidence is the lack of evidence
of either shock metamorphism or meteoritic material. Given
that local bedrock consists mostly of shale and Paleozoic
carbonates, its lacks either the quartz or other minerals
that would retain a signature of having been shocked by
an impact event. In addition, because the feature is
buried by 10 meters of glacial till, it is understandable
why it has been quite difficult to recover either impact
glass, shocked quartz, or similar evidence.

The best source of information about the Liberty
Feature / Structure is an unpublished report:

Stierman, D. J., B. Bradley, and S. G. Trytten (????)
Geophysical Investigation of a Suspected Impact Crater,
Liberty Township, Seneca County, Ohio.

This report is available on-line at:
http://www.eeescience.utoledo.edu/Faculty/Stierman/RES/LibC/report.pdf

The abstract of this reports stated:

  "Geophysical measurements near a 79 meter deep
  borehole show that a crater, about 800 meters in
  diameter and over 80 meters deep, formed in the
  Lockport Dolomite (Silurian) prior to Wisconsinan
  glaciation. Drilling logs and cuttings indicate
  that till about 10 meters thick covers a
  carbonate-rich sediment very different from the
  surrounding Paleozoic strata."

Also, there are:

LIBERTY CRATER INDEX
http://www.eeescience.utoledo.edu/Faculty/Stierman/RES/LibC/IX.htm

and lots of figures " Liberty Township, Seneca County,
Ohio" at:
http://www.eeescience.utoledo.edu/Faculty/Stierman/RES/LibC/Maps.htm

...text deleted...

  "Cuttings from a borehole drilled into the rim
  provide direct evidence that rim rocks were
  upturned, elevating them 45 to 65 meters above
  their expected stratigraphic location."

Published References about the Liberty Structure / Feature

Opfer, D. and J. Stierman (2000) Geophysical Methods for
Mapping the Edge of a Shallowly Buried Impact Crater.
North-Central Section (36th) and Southeastern Section (51st),
GSA Joint Annual
Meeting (April 3-5, 2002) at:
http://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2002NC/finalprogram/abstract_32534.htm

Stierman, D. J.. (2000) Evidence for upturned rim rocks,
Liberty Crater, Seneca County, Ohio. . Geological Society
of America Abstracts with Programs. vol. 32, no. 4, p. 62

This abstract reads in part:

  "Liberty Crater is an anomalous structure where a
  roughly circular slab of Paleozoic carbonate rock
  about 100 m thick and 800 m in diameter is missing,
  the hole filled with lacustrine sediments, and
  everything concealed by till."

Stierman, D. J.and J. Elliott (2001) Buried Impact
Craters Revealed by Filtering Gravity Data. Abstracts
with Programs, 35th Annual Meeting, North-Central
Section, Geological Society of America, page A-13.

Stierman, D. J., B. B. Trytten, and S.A. Gurney
(1997) Geophysical investigation of a suspected impact crater,
Liberty Township, Seneca County, Ohio. Geological
Society of America Abstracts with Programs. vol. 29,
no. 6, p. 215

Trytten, B. B. (1995) Preliminary geophysical
investigation of a buried bedrock basin, Liberty
Township, Seneca County, Ohio. unpublished, Master's
thesis, Department of Earth, Ecological & Environmental
Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio.

Trytten, B. and D. J. Stierman (1994) Geophysical
investigations of an impact(?) crater, Liberty Township,
Seneca County, Ohio. Geological Society of America
Abstracts with Programs. vol. 26, no. 5, p. 65.

+++ Serpent Mound Impact Structure +++

The Serpent Mound Impact Structure lies in Ohio
at Latitude 39!2'N and Longitude 83!24'W. It has
a diameter of 6.40 km and estimated to be about
320 milion years old. It has been studied since at
least 1926 and there is seeming enough evidence to
conclude that it is certainly an impact structure.

Below are the publications about the Serpent Mound
impact structure that I could find in a brief search
of the literature.

Angerman, C. E., S. J. Gaddis, E. Widom, and J. M.
Hughes (2001) Origin of the Serpent Mound cryptoexplosion
structure; evidence from X-ray diffraction studies.
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs.
Vol. 33, no. 4, p. 50.

Baranoski, M. T. (1993) Interpretation of seismic data
acquired over the Serpent Mound disturbance in Adams
County, Ohio. In: An update on Ohio's subsurface. Ohio
Geological Society. Columbus.

Baranoski, M. T, and D. R. Watts (2001) The Serpent
Mound disturbance of southern Ohio; a structurally
complex impact site with hydrocarbon potential from the
Ordovician and Cambrian system reservoirs. American
Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin. vol. 85,
no. 8, p. 1530.

Baranoski, M. T., G. A. Schumacher, R. W., Carlton, D. R.
Watts, B. M. Elsaiti, and C. Koeberl (1998) The Serpent
Mound disturbance of south-central Ohio; the ultimate
geological lottery. Geological Society of America
Abstracts with Programs. vol. 30, no.2, p. 4.

Baranoski, M. T. G. A. Schumacher, D. R. Watts, R. W.
Carlton, and E. Elsaiti (1997) Hydrocarbon potential
beneath the Knox Unconformity in the vicinity of the
Serpent Mound disturbance based upon new core and
geophysical data. In Fifth annual technical symposium,
A. Janssens-Arie, chairperson, pp. 1-11, Ohio
Geological Society Annual Technical Symposium, no.5.
Ohio Geological Society. Canton, OH.

Bucher, Walter H. (1926) Cryptovolcanic regions. Journal
of the Washington Academy of Sciences. vol. 18, no. 19,
pp. 521-524.

Bucher, Walter H. (1936) Cryptovolcanic Structures in
the United States. Sixteenth International Geological
Congress Report, Vol. 2, pp. 1060-1064.

Bull, C., C. E. Corbato, and J. C. Zahn (1967) Gravity
survey of the Serpent Mound area, southern Ohio. The Ohio
Journal of Science. vol. 67, no. 6, pp. 359-371.

Carlton, R. W., C. Koeberl, M. T. Baranoski, and G. A.
Schumacher (1998a) Discovery of microscopic evidence for
shock metamorphism at the Serpent Mound structure,
south-central Ohio; confirmation of an origin by
impact. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. vol. 162
no. 1-4, pp. 177-185.

Carlton, R. W., C. Koeberl, M. T. Baranoski, and G. A.
Schumacher (1998b) Discovery of planar deformation
features at the Serpent Mound disturbance, south-central
Ohio; unequivocal evidence for an impact. Geological
Society of America Abstracts with Programs. vol. 30,
no. 2, p. 8.

Cohen, A. J., T. E. Bunch, and A. M. Reid (1961) Coesite
discoveries establish cryptovolcanics as fossil meteorite
craters. Science. vol. 134, no. 3490, pp. 1624-1625.

Cohen, A. J., A. M. Reid, and T. E. Bunch (1962) Central
uplifts of terrestrial and lunar craters; (Part) 1,
Kentland and Serpent Mound structures. Journal of
Geophysical Research. vol. 67, no. 4, pp. 1632-1633.

Darling, A., and E. Carlson (1996) Application of color
alteration index to conodonts of the Brassfield
Limestone, within and around the serpent mound
cryptoexplosion structure, Adams County Ohio.
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs.
vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 47-48.

Dietz, R. S. (1960) Meteorite Impact Suggested by Shatter
Cones in Rock. Science. vol. 131, no. 3416, pp. 1781-1784.

Flaugher, D. M. (1973) A gravity survey of the Serpent
Mound cryptoexplosion structure and surrounding area in
southern Ohio. Unpublished Master's thesis, Wright State
University. Dayton, OH. 114 pp.

Koeberl, C., P. C. Buchanan, and R. W. Carlton (1998)
Petrography and geochemistry of drill core samples from
the Serpent Mound structure, Ohio; confirmation of impact
origin. Abstracts of Papers Submitted to the Lunar and
Planetary Science Conference. vol. 29. Lunar and Planetary
Science Conference. Houston, TX.

Koucky, F. L., and S. P. Reidel, (1987) The Serpent Mound
disturbance, south-central Ohio. In D. L. Biggs, ed., pp.
431-436. North-central section of the Geological Society
of America, Centennial field guide, vol. 3. Geological
Society of America, Boulder, CO.

Gaddis, S. J., C. E. Angerman, E. Widom, and J. Hughes
2001) Origins of the Serpent Mound Crytoexplosion
Structure, South-Central Ohio: XRD AND Re-Os Isotope
Evidence. Eleventh Annual V. M. Goldschmidt Conference.
Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX.
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/gold2001/pdf/3737.pdf

Galbraith, R. M., IV (1968) Peripheral deformation of the
Serpent Mound cryptoexplosion structure in Adams County,
Ohio. unpublished Master's thesis, University of
Cincinnati. Cincinnati, OH.

Galbraith, R. M., IV, and F. L. Koucky (1969) Peripheral
deformation of the Serpent Mound cryptoexplosion
structure in Adams County, Ohio. Geological Society of
America Abstracts with Programs. Part 6, p. 17.

Hansen, M. C. (1994) Return to Sunken Mountain; the
Serpent Mound cryptoexplosion structure. Ohio Geology,
Winter, pp. 1, 3-7.

Heirendt, K. M. (1990) An analysis of 222Rn soil gas
concentrations in the Serpent Mound area, southwestern
Ohio. unpublished Master's thesis, University of Akron.
Akron, OH, 86 pp.

Heyl, A. V., and M. R. Brock (1962) Zinc occurrence in
the Serpent Mound structure of southern Ohio. In
Geological Survey Research 1962, pp. D95-D97, U. S.
Geological Survey Professional Paper no 450-D. U. S.
Geological Survey. Reston, VA.

Kopf, R. W. (1981) Hydrotectonics: Principles and
Advances. EOS Transactions of American Geophysical Union
vol. 62, no. 45, p. 1047.

McFarland, B. P. , E. H. Carlson, and J. W. Talnagi, Jr.
(1994) Mineralogic and trace element studies from the
Serpent Mound District, Southwest Ohio. Geological
Society of America Abstracts with Programs. vol. 26,
no. 7, p. 500

McFarland, B. P., P. C. McMasters, S. L. Sanfrey, E. J.
Amato, T. L. Miller, and E. H. Carlson (1993) Trace metal
patterns in stream sediments and panned concentrates,
Serpent Mound disturbance, Geological Society of America
Abstracts with Programs. vol. 25, no. 6, p. 278.

Muller, O. H (1986) Long lines and crypto-explosion
features. Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union.
vol. 67, no. 16, p. 363.

Povenmire, H. (2000) The Serpent Mound, Ohio Astrobleme
- New Access - Refined Data. 63rd Annual Meeting of the
Meteoritical Society, Chicago, Illinois. The Meteorical
Society, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/metsoc2000/pdf/5080.pdf.

Reidel, S. P. (1972) Geology of the Serpent Mound
Cryptoexplosion Structure. Unpublished Master's thesis,
Department of Geology. University of Cincinnati,
Cincinnati, OH. 150 pp.

Reidel, S. P. (1975) Bedrock Geology of the Serpent Mound
Cryptoexplosion Structure, Adams, Highland, and Pike
Counties, Ohio (Map). Ohio Department of Natural
Resources, Division of Geological Survey, Report of
Investigations, No. 95. Ohio Department of Natural
Resources, Division of Geological Survey, Columbus, OH.

Reidel, S. P. (1981) The Serpent Mound Disturbance.
Southcentral Ohio: An Example of Hydrotectonics? EOS
Transactions of the American geophysical Union, vol. 62,
no. 45, p. 104

Reidel, S. P. and F. L. Koucky (1981) The Serpent Mound
Cryptoexplosion Structure. Southwestern Ohio. In GSA
Cincinnati 1981 Field Trip Guidebooks, Vol. II, T. G.
Roberts, ed., pp. 391-403. American Geological Institute,
Falls Church, VA.

Reidel, S.P., F.L. Koucky, and J.R. Stryker. 1982. The
Serpent Mound Disturbance, Southwestern Ohio. American
Journal of Science. vol. 282, no. 9, pp. 1343-1377.

Sauer. K., and M. P. S. Krekeler (1997) A small deformed,
hydrothermally altered region in Niagara age sediments
near Hillsboro, Ohio; a possible relationship to the
Serpent Mound cryptoexplosive structure. Geological
Society of America Abstracts with Programs. vol. 29,
no. 6, p. 417

Schumacher, G. A., M. T. Baranoski, R. W. Carlton, D. R.
Watts, and B. M. Elsaiti (1998) The Serpent Mound
disturbance revisited; new core data. Geological Society
of America Abstracts with Programs. vol. 30, no. 2,
p. 70.

Schmidt, R. G., A. C. McFarlan, E. Nosow, R. S. Bowman,
and R. Alberts (1961) Examination of Ordovician through
Devonian stratigraphy and the Serpent Mound chaotic
structure area, Field Trip no. 8. In Geological Society
America Guidebook for field trips, Cincinnati meeting
1961, pp. 259-293. Geological Society America, Boulder,
CO.

Summerson, C. H. (1963) Serpent Mound structure, Adams
County, Ohio, a summary. In: Stratigraphy of the Silurian
rocks in western Ohio--Michigan Basin Geological Society
Annual Field Excursion 1963, pp. 7-11. Michigan
Geological Survey Division, Lansing, MI.

Schwendeman, J. F. (1971) The placement of Serpent Mound
in Adams County, Ohio; an interdisciplinary study in
geology, anthropology, and archeology. Compass of Sigma
Gamma Epsilon. vol. 48, no. 4, pp. 132-134.

Swinford, E. M. (1984) Geology of the Peebles Quadrangle,
Adams County, Ohio. Geological Society of America
Abstracts with Programs. vol. 16, no. 3, p. 202

Watts, D. R., B. M. Elsaiti, M. T. Baranoski, and G. A.
Schumacher-Gregory-A (1998) Paleomagnetic constraints
on the age of the Serpent Mound disturbance of south-
central Ohio. Geological Society of America Abstracts
with Programs. vol. 30, no. 2, p. 77.

Watts, D. R., and B. Elsaiti J. M. Memmi, J. Weaver, and
M. T. Baranoski (1998) The Serpent Mound Magnetic
Anomaly: Fingerprint of a Meteorite Impact? (Source
unknown - but appears to be 1998 American Association
of Petroleum Geologist Annual Meeting.)
http://www.ohiodnr.com/geosurvey/aapg/poster1.htm

Worthing, R. W. (1965) Structural evidence of regional
block movement of the craton in the eastern interior of
the North American continent. Shale Shaker. vol. 15,
no. 6, pp. 101-107.

Zahn, J. C. (1965) A gravity survey of the Serpent Mound
area in southern Ohio. unpublished Master's thesis, Ohio
State University. Columbus, OH.

Have Fun

Keith Littleton
New orleans, LA
Received on Sun 29 Sep 2002 02:27:07 PM PDT