Middlesboro crater facts for kids
| Middlesborough astrobleme | |
The city of Middlesboro is built within the crater
|
|
| Impact crater/structure | |
|---|---|
| Confidence | Confirmed |
| Diameter | 6 kilometers (3.7 mi) |
| Age | <300 Ma Permian to late Mesozoic |
| Exposed | Yes |
| Drilled | Yes |
| Location | |
| Location | Bell County, Kentucky, United States |
| Coordinates | 36°37′N 83°44′W / 36.617°N 83.733°W |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
 Middlesboro crater
Location in Kentucky
|
|
| Access | U.S. Route 25E |
The Middlesboro crater is a giant hole in the ground in Kentucky, United States. It was made by a meteorite hitting the Earth a long, long time ago. The city of Middlesboro is actually built right inside this crater!
This huge crater is about 5 kilometers (or 3 miles) wide. Scientists believe it was formed less than 300 million years ago, during a time called the Permian period. The space rock that caused it was probably about 100 meters (or 328 feet) across!
How the Middlesboro Crater Formed
The Middlesboro crater is located in the Appalachian Mountains. It sits between the Cumberland Mountains and Pine Mountain. This area was important for early settlers moving west into Kentucky.
The crater was officially identified in 1962 by K. J. Englund and J. B. Roen. Later, in 1966, a scientist named Robert Dietz found special rocks called shatter cones there. Shatter cones are unique patterns in rocks that only form when something hits the Earth with extreme force, like a meteorite. He also found shocked quartz, another sign of a powerful impact.
In 2003, the Kentucky Society of Professional Geologists recognized the Middlesboro crater as a Distinguished Geologic Site.
A City Inside a Crater
The town of Middlesboro was started in 1886. People built the town to dig for iron and coal in the area. Interestingly, the town's founder, Alexander A. Arthur, didn't even know he was building a town inside a meteorite crater!
Middlesboro is the only place in the world where coal is mined inside an impact crater. Because of the way the rocks were disturbed by the impact, special mining methods are needed here.
The Crater Today
Even though coal mining is still very important for Middlesboro, local leaders hope to attract more visitors. The crater is a unique natural wonder. The Cumberland Gap Tunnel makes it easy for tourists to visit the town and the nearby Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.
