Brent crater facts for kids
 Brent Crater
Location in Ontario
|
|
| Impact crater/structure | |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 3.8 kilometres (2.4 mi) |
| Age | 396 ± 20 million years (Middle Devonian) |
| Exposed | No |
| Drilled | Yes |
| Bolide type | Chondrite |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 46°04′22″N 78°28′38″W / 46.07278°N 78.47722°W |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| District | Nipissing |
| Municipality | Papineau-Cameron and Unorganized South Nipissing District |
| Topo map | NTS 031L01 |
| Access | Brent Road |
The Brent Crater is a huge hole in the ground located in Ontario, Canada. It was formed when a giant space rock, called a meteorite, crashed into Earth a very long time ago. This crater is found in the northern part of Algonquin Provincial Park.
It is about 3.8 kilometres (2.4 mi) wide. Scientists believe it was created around 453 million years ago. This was during a time in Earth's history known as the Ordovician period. You can visit the crater by taking Brent Road.
How the Crater Formed
The Brent Crater was first noticed in 1951 from pictures taken from airplanes. It looks like a big circular dip in the ground. This area is made of very old, hard rocks.
Scientists have studied the crater using special tools and by drilling deep holes. They found that the crater is about 1,400 feet deep. However, it is partly filled with 900 feet of sedimentary rock. These are rocks formed from layers of sand, mud, and other materials.
The rocks deep under the crater floor are broken into many pieces. This damage goes down about 2,000 feet. Scientists believe a huge meteorite hit the Earth at very high speed. This impact released a lot of energy, like 250 megatons of TNT exploding!
This massive event happened about 450 million years ago. At that time, this part of Canada was probably covered by a shallow sea.
Visiting the Crater
There is a special tower on the edge of the Brent Crater. From here, you can get a great view of the entire crater. The old wooden tower was taken down in 2007 because it was too old to be safe. A new, stronger tower was built nearby. This new tower gives an even better view of the whole area.
You can also find a hiking trail that leads down to the bottom of the crater. Inside the crater, there are two small lakes called Gilmour and Tecumseh. Most lakes in Algonquin Provincial Park have slightly acidic water. But the water in these crater lakes is different. It contains bicarbonate. This is because some limestone deposits were protected from being removed by glaciers in the lower parts of the crater.
Location and Name
The Brent Crater is located in a special geological area. This area is called the Ottawa-Bonnechere Graben. A graben is a long, narrow valley that forms when the Earth's crust pulls apart. This rift valley formed about 452 million years ago.
The crater was named after a small village nearby, called Brent.
