Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to A volcanic crater in Meridiani, Mars.

An Impact Origin for Crater Lake, Oregon
dtb — (archived)

I'm visiting family in Portland this week, and yesterday I went to Crater Lake.

Upon reflection, it is clear that the accepted model of volcanic eruption followed by caldera collapse is wrong. Crater Lake is an impact crater.

Evidence:

1. Crater Lake is round. Impact craters are round.

2. The crater walls show signs of erosion and landslides. Crater walls of impact craters are frequently degraded by erosion.

3. Crater Lake has a raised rim. In this case, the rim is one mile above the surrounding countryside for a crater 7 miles across and 0.8 miles deep.

4. Central peak. Crater lake has a conical peak rising up from the crater floor, about 2/3 of the way from the center to one of the walls. In this photo, we see that 50km lunar farside crater Flatus D-12 has a conical, off-axis central peak.

5. Impact melt. Submersibles have found lava flows at the bottom of the lake. Tycho also has impact melt sheets on parts of its floor.

6. Base surge. Impacts generate "base surges" of fine debris. Welded tuffs found radiating from Crater Lake are consistent with impact base surges.

7. Lodge / Visitors Center. Meteor Crater, Arizona, has a visitors center perched on its rim. So does Crater Lake.

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