A group of small craters that exhibit an unusually wide variety of structural features.

In 1931, the cluster of craters at Henbury Cattle Station south of Alice Springs in Central Australia was one of the first places on Earth where a group of impact structures could definitely be linked to the fall of iron meteorites. It was also the first place where radial rays and loops of ejected rock material, comparable to those seen around craters on the Moon, were observed. As such it was one of the primary observation sites associated with the science of meteoritics in its infancy. In this work the authors present previously unpublished documents covering early research at the Henbury site, provide an extended data set on the distribution of meteoritic material at Henbury craters, and compare recent discoveries on the mechanics of hypervelocity impacts with evidence collected over 80 years of research at the Henbury meteorite craters. In their conclusion, the authors suggest a new hypothesis for the fragmentation and incident direction of the crater-forming bolide, on the basis of a more complete set of data compared with previous models.

On Earth, catastrophic impact of an asteroid or comet with truly global consequences has not happened during our written history, and the threat seems very small. Giant scars on our planet’s surface are relics of an impact history stretching back more than 2 billion years, and there is no assurance it cannot happen again. In Australia there are 36 structures ranging from tens of metres to tens of kilometres in diameter, and recognised to varying degrees of certainty as having been formed by giant meteorite impact. In clear and concise language this book begins with ancient beliefs and myths about craters and then explains how they are actually formed and provides details of their structure. Using the record in the rocks, the authors also assess the likelihood of future impacts and their possible effects.

This bibliography on impact structures supplements U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1220 by citing literature published or reviewed since 1964. It adds 17 new structures to the list of 110 previously considered. It is organized in the same manner as Bulletin 1220.

The essential guide to 139 sites where the Earth has had a direct hit from space.

An evaluation of the mineral potential of the area.