Gardnos crater
Encyclopedia
Meteorite
A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. Meteorites can be big or small. Most meteorites derive from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids...
impact crater
Impact crater
In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...
in the area known as Nesbyen
Nesbyen
Nesbyen is a town in Nes municipality in the county of Buskerud, Norway. Nes is the administrative center of Nes municipality. Nes is located in the traditional district of Hallingdal....
in Nes
Nes, Buskerud
Nes is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hallingdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Nesbyen....
municipality in the county of Buskerud
Buskerud
is a county in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark, and Vestfold. The county administration is located in Drammen.-Geography:...
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
Gardnos crater is 5 km in diameter, and was created when a meteorite with an estimated diameter of 200-300 m struck 500 million years ago. At first this site was believed to be a volcanic crater, but in 1990 two scientists discovered that it was in fact formed by meteorite impact.
The original bedrock in the area was fractured and a powder of crushed rocks was forced into all the fractures. This is the origin of the peculiar rock in this area. It is possible to drive in to the centre of the crater, which makes the Gardnos crater one of the world's most accessible meteorite craters. There are two trails through the surrounding natural region, with information signs describing the unique geology of the area.