As with most other meteor impact craters, there seems to be a lot of conjecture as to the date the Odessa meteor crater was formed. Estimates place this timescale at anywhere between 25,000 and 63,500 years ago. Whatever the date, this crater represents an ideal opportunity to catch a glimpse of what nature can have in store for this planet, from outer space.
The Odessa meteor crater is believed to have been formed by a 70 ton meteor that came crashing to Earth at a startling speed. In its present form, the crater measures some 168m in diameter. Topographically speaking, it is not the most spectacular of crater sites, as it only has a depth of 15m at the deepest point from the crater floor to the top of the rim. Debris and sediments would have accumulated over the resulting millennia, however, so the Odessa meteor crater is likely to have had an original depth of closer to the 30m mark.
The meteorite that was responsible for all of this destruction is thought to have been vaporized upon the impact. This fact eluded scientists for many years though and they were convinced a giant and solid meteorite was still embedded deep in the crater floor. With this goal in mind, they set to work building a deep shaft in an attempt to locate such an iron mass of space debris. It suffices to say that they never retrieved such evidence and that this is what has led them to conclude that vaporization would have been the most likely occurrence.
Having said this, 1500 iron meteorite fragments have been found around the Odessa meteor crater, one of which weighed in at a mighty 300LB.
Interestingly, there are now known to be at least four other meteor impact craters within the vicinity, with the Odessa meteor crater being the largest and most clearly identifiable feature. Topographically, as the other crater sites were quite a bit smaller, their tell-tale crater structures would have sadly been lost over the thousands of years that have transpired since.
There is another significant meteor impact crater located within the state of Texas and this can be found at Sierra Madera. This crater is larger than the Odessa meteor crater and is thought to be somewhat older. It would seem that Texas has seen more than its fair share of meteor strikes throughout relatively recent history.
The Odessa meteor crater is located in Ector County in Texas, United States of America. Modern life has developed and grown around this prehistoric crater site and the I20 runs very close by. This feature has been designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service and the huge historic and astronomic importance is recognized as being crucial to our past and future understanding of meteor impacts.
If you are looking to visit the Odessa meteor crater you will find that plenty of facilities have been laid on to make your trip even more worthwhile. The National Park Service has devised a self-guided tour of the crater site that will provide visitors with plenty of valuable and helpful information. There is also a visitors center within the locale.