Boxhole crater facts for kids
Boxhole meteorite crater, July 2011
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| Impact crater/structure | |
|---|---|
| Confidence | Confirmed |
| Diameter | 170 m (560 ft) |
| Age | 5.4 ± 1.5 ka Holocene |
| Exposed | Yes |
| Drilled | No |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 22°36′45″S 135°11′43″E / 22.61250°S 135.19528°E |
| Country | Australia |
| State | Northern Territory |
 Location in Northern Territory
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Boxhole is a young impact crater located approximately 180 km (265 km by road) north-east of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Australia. It is 170 metres in diameter and its age is estimated to be 5,400 ± 1,500 years based on the cosmogenic 14C terrestrial age of the meteorite, placing it in the Holocene. The crater is exposed to the surface.
Description
In 1937 Joe Webb, a shearer at Boxhole sheep station, took geologist Cecil Madigan to examine the crater. Madigan discovered nickel-bearing metallic fragments and iron shale-balls similar to those found at Henbury to the south of Alice Springs. It was the second impact crater to be described in Australia, after Henbury. A later search found additional meteoritic metal including an iron mass of 181 pounds (82 kg) , now in the Natural History Museum, London.
