Google Earth and the Impact Structures Database.

Most of us have heard of the Chixculub impact crater on the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico and what it probably did. Namely wipe out the entire dinosaur population some 65 million years ago. All it took was a 10 kilometer (~6 mile) piece of rock a.k.a an asteroid hitting the earth’s surface. And it left a tell-tale mark some 170km (~105.6 mile) wide.

Now that’s something you would want to see in Google Earth. Not? How about the Barringer ‘Meteor’ Crater? Or the Vredefort dome? Or the other 170 some impact craters?

Well, just take your pick from the download box and wonder how real a ‘Deep Impact‘ or ‘Armageddon‘ movie-scenario truly is.

The database was lifted off the ‘Earth Impact Database‘ maintained by the University of Brunswick. There you’ll find lots more information about the particular impact craters and structures.

Google Earth and the Suspected Earth Impact Structures Database.

Apart from the above mentioned resource there’s another group dealing with impact craters. The Impact Field Studies Group which has as its purpose:

The overall intent in forming IFSG is to bring together widely-separated researchers doing work at a variety of impact crater locations to share the observations and field experience for the common good of the impact community.

One of its members, David Rajmon, maintains a database which has been converted to a collection viewable in Google Earth. You can download the latest version here:

The March 2006 edition of the SEIS database viewable in GE. (200KB KML*)

* KML/KMZ files are automatically opened by Google Earth by clicking on them and/or opening the files.

Ubiquitous link to download Google Earth.