Google Earth: Suspected Earth Impact Sites March 2006 update (KML)


SEIS database legendThe IFSG released a new database containing all the known suspected earth impact craters. I could not stay behind and updated the collection for Google Earth.

Google Earth KML Download the March 2006 edition of the SEIS database (200KB KML).

So if you happen to discover some craters yourself, now you can check if it’s in the collection of suspected and/or confirmed craters.

Addendum (2006-03-14): A few people noticed that some craters are far off from where they’re ‘supposed’ to be. Just take a look at the crowd at 0 lat. & 0 lon. or ‘Hongkong’ in the middle of Africa. It’s all because the positioning in the original database is sometimes missing or just plainly wrong. It was my deliberate choice to include all structures and not filter out the bad ones.
I’m slowly trying to find the right spot for some craters, but with 500+ structures it isn’t easy it’s quite a puzzle. 🙂 Especially if there are no visible cues on the ground. So if you have any suggestion as to where each crater really belongs, use the comment box below and I’ll update ASAP. Thanks!
Added note: It looks like the conversion from Excel to KML introduced some errors as well. My bad, sorry.

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15 responses to “Google Earth: Suspected Earth Impact Sites March 2006 update (KML)”

  1. Excellent — thanks so much for this :)…was looking for a way to plot a crater on a Google Earth map, and the IFSG sent me here.

    Wanted to give you an update on one crater — the crater Quillagua should be located at -21.50 latitude, not 21.50 (which, I believe, is a typo in the original database).

  2. I have a candidate for a crater that isn’t in the database. How do I add my contribution? is there a link somewhere?

  3. @squawky: duly noted. Quillagua will be updated on the next run.

    @WyldFyr: I’m sorry, but currently there is no easy way to submit craters. Though I’ve been meaning to build one.
    I’m not the person to include suspected impact craters in the SEIS database. To be included you’ll probably need to have some sort of scientific proof to validate its origin. Not every ’round’ feature on earth is an impact crater, but could also be an extinct volcano, dried-up riverbent, cave-in, …
    But there are other avenues of attack.

    1. One could write about their discovery on their own website. Like for instance http://www.astroseti.org/impacts.php

    2. One could post a placemark on sites like Google Earth Hacks (http://www.googleearthhacks.com/addfile.php) or Tagzania (http://www.tagzania.com/tag/crater) describing their find. Whatever suits you best.

    3. You could post the coordinates (latitude/longitude) right here so I, and everyone else, could take a look (I’m no expert on geologic features, but I could blog about it).

    I suggest you do the 3rd option. 🙂

  4. Alejo, you may be right. The latitude of Watterson Lake in Seis is 65.22, while Bull’s eye lake has a latitude of 61.22. (Longitude is almost the same) So this could be an error in the database.

  5. Like WyldFyr I have a candidate for a crater, the coordinates are 3 37 S 24 30 E, maybe you could blog about this.

  6. Hi Dave,

    I can’t tell if its truly an impact crater. But it looks promising, although I cannot find info on it in the SEIS database or on Google. Here’s what I could make of it in Google Earth (KMZ download). I’ll pass it on to the SEIS database owner.

  7. Ladies and Gentlemen,
    thanks for the corrections and proposals for SEIS. The structure in Congo looks intriguing indeed. I will include it in the next database release. Please do not hesitate to let me know about your findings. I may find your proposals improbable or reject them right away but that’s usefull as well. And from time to time, some structures may be interesting enough look at them closer. The best way to submit a structure is in SEIS format in a spreadsheet. More detailed instructions are the SEIS database.

    Cheers,
    David

  8. have you considered “out-sourcing” some of the data qa/qc stuff? I could help set up a transaction feature service hosting the impact database into which users could lodge proposed corrections. You (or whoever) then vets, accepts or rejects the proposal. Spread the maintenance load, increase the number of eyeballs applied to the task. PS many of the SEIS proposals in the Indian Ocean belong in Argentina – a missing negative sign in longitude, I believe.

    Good job! Cheers

  9. Hello Mick,

    Back in 2006 I did think about an open webinterface to the database, built a demo and discussed it very briefly with David Rajmon. But sometimes plans just stay what they are, plans.

    If you’re serious about the ‘out-sourcing’ thing, please contact mister Rajmon. As he is the owner the database and probably willing to participate. He may also be reached through the IFSG.

  10. I noticed a possible impact crater in western china, a very large one, I’ve been looking for any reference to this impact. The crater is the whole sand area around 39 lat, 82 lon. From my (limited) calculations this would have penetrated the crust and maybe reemerged approximately 30 35″lat, 65 lon. Has anyone seen any data on such an event.
    If my calculation are correct this would explain the large amount of sand across the top of Africa and the rise of the Himalayas.
    Any info would be much appreciated.

  11. I was at Quillagua, Chile last week and learned about the “Valley of 108 Craters”. I will be back in a few months with my metal detector and will be taking GPS recordings for you. I have a power paragliding cart and will be doing searches for meteorites in the near future. Give me an email address and I will forward some interesting photos of the area: driest desert in the world.

  12. I’d like to find a way to filter by dates. I’m on the hunt for impacts that happened ca 245 MYA at the Ordovician/Silurian transition (I live near Jeptha Knob). There appears to have been a string of impacts across N Europe into E Canada and down into the US. Considering this was at 245 MYA we were probably all near the equator. Could the big hit have been Ilyinets and the others cause by a break-up?

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