Saint Martin crater facts for kids
| Location of the crater in Canada | |
| Impact crater/structure | |
|---|---|
| Confidence | Confirmed |
| Diameter | 40 km (25 mi) |
| Age | 227.8 ± 1.1 Ma Carnian |
| Exposed | No |
| Drilled | Yes |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 51°47′N 98°32′W / 51.783°N 98.533°WCoordinates: 51°47′N 98°32′W / 51.783°N 98.533°W |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Manitoba |
| Municipality | Grahamdale |
Saint Martin is an impact crater in Manitoba, Canada. It is located in the northern part of the Rural Municipality of Grahamdale, northwest of Lake St. Martin.
The crater is 40 km (25 mi) in diameter and its age was determined to be 227.8 ± 1.1 million years (Carnian stage of the Triassic) using the argon-argon dating technique. The crater is well preserved but poorly exposed at the surface as the whole region is covered by glacial drift.
Hypothetical multiple impact event
It had previously been suggested by Geophysicist David Rowley of the University of Chicago, working with John Spray of the University of New Brunswick and Simon Kelley of the Open University, that the Saint Martin crater may have been part of a hypothetical multiple impact event which also formed the Manicouagan crater in northern Quebec, Rochechouart crater in France, Obolon' crater in Ukraine, and Red Wing crater in North Dakota. All of the craters had previously been known and studied, but their paleoalignment had never before been demonstrated. Rowley has said that the chance that these craters could be aligned like this due to chance are nearly zero.
