[meteorite-list] Meteorite crater found on mount Ararat?

From: Paul H. <oxytropidoceras_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2011 9:18:27 -0600
Message-ID: <20110214101827.1B48X.245905.imail_at_eastrmwml36>

In "Meteorite crater found on mount Ararat?" at
http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/meteorite-list/2011-February/073339.html ,
Michael posted,
 
> http://www.sott.net/articles/show/223395-Meteorite-crater-found-on-mount-Ararat-
  ...quoted text deleted...
 
Its coordinates are 39? 47' 30''N, 44? 14' 40''E.
 
The above URL is to an article, ?Meteorite crater found on
mount Ararat?? that appeared on February 8, 2011 in the
?Science & Technology? section of Sott.net. Articles to the
same study also appeared back in November of 2010 on
various web sites including:
 
1. Armenian Weekly, Meteorite Crater on Mt Ararat?
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2010/11/19/meteorite-crater-on-mount-ararat/
 
and 2. Unrecorded Meteorite Crater Found On Mount
Ararat? Armenian Diaspora, November 2010.
http://www.armeniandiaspora.com/showthread.php?250611-Unrecorded-Meteorite-Crater-Found-On-Mount-Ararat
 
A PDF version of the preprint is:
 
Gurzadyan, V. G., and S. Aarseth, 2010, A meteorite
crater on Mt. Ararat? Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
(astro-ph.EP) Cornell University, arXiv:1011.3715v1
[astro-ph.EP]
 
Abstract at http://arxiv.org/abs/1011.3715
PDF file at http://arxiv.org/pdf/1011.3715v1
 
Looking at their picture of their hypothesized ?crater,?
it looks nothing like either an impact crater or volcanic
crater. The depression that they illustrate lacks any
indication of a rim that is composed of either impact
ejecta or pyroclastic debris. Also, the bedrock that is
exposed along the rim of the feature lacks any obvious
signs of any deformation. Judging from the photograph,
rock has simply collapsed into the depression instead
of having been ejected from it.
 
>From all appearances, the depression reported from
Mt Ararat looks like a rather run-of-the-mill collapsed
roof of a lava tube. In their initial stages, such roof
collapses can have a quite circular outline. Also,
collapsed lava tubes would be common on a volcano
like Mt Ararat. Such as interpretation is consistent
with what can be seen in the photograph.
 
>From a previous post, some examples of collapsed lava tubes are:
 
1. The Desert Caves Project
http://www.saudicaves.com/science/index.html
http://www.saudicaves.com/science/hib.jpg
 
2. Collapsed Lava Tube, Craters of the Moon
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/11599385
 
3. Martian caves
http://dwarmstr.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html
http://www2.lib.uchicago.edu/~dean/blog/mars-cave.jpg
http://www2.lib.uchicago.edu/~dean/blog/mars-cave-floor.jpg
 
Yours,
 
Paul H.
Received on Mon 14 Feb 2011 10:18:27 AM PST