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Earth Impact Database Sorted by : | Age | Diameter | Name |

Tswaing (formerly Pretoria Salt Pan crater)

Crater Name
Location
Latitude
Longitude
Diameter (km)
Age (Ma)*
Exposed
Drilled
Target Rock**
Bolide Type***
Tswaing (formerly Pretoria Saltpan)
South Africa
S 25° 24'
E 28° 5'
1.13
0.220 ± 0.052
Y
Y
C
-

 


View from the rim - Photo submitted by Greg Boyce


View from crater bottom - Photo submitted by Greg Boyce


Topographic map, 20 m contour interval.


Landsat image. Crater near top left (Pretoria at bottom).
Photo submitted by Greg Boyce


Photograph


Photograph


Photograph

DEM Image Provided by Dr. Carlos Roberto de Souza Filho

Image Provided by Dr. Carlos Roberto de Souza Filho

Image Provided by Dr. Carlos Roberto de Souza Filho

References

1. Brandt, D., The Tswaing Crater: One of the World's Best Preserved and Museums Plans for the Site, Meteoritics; vol. 34, No. 4, Supp. p. A17. 1999.

2. Brandt, D., Reimold, W.U. and Smith,C.B., New Rb-Sr ages for igneous rocks from the area of the Pretoria Saltpan impact crater. S. Afr. J. Geol., v. 99, pp. 293-297. 1996.

3. Brandt, D., Reimold, W.U. and Smith,C.B., New Rb-Sr ages for igneous rocks from the area of the Pretoria Saltpan impact crater. S. Afr. J. Geol., v. 99, pp. 293-297. 1996.

4. Brandt, D., Reimold, W. U., The geology of the Pretoria Saltpan impact structure and the surrounding area. S. Afr. J. Geol., v. 98, pp. 287-303. 1995.

5. Brandt, D., Reimold, W. U., The petrology of the igneous rocks occurring in the Pretoria Saltpan impact crater and surrounding area. S. Afr. J. Geol., v. 98, pp. 304-318. 1995.

6. Brandt, D., Reimold, W.U. and Durrheim,R.J., Geophysical signature of the Pretoria Saltpan impact structure and a possible satellite crater. Meteoritics, v. 29, pp. 379-384. 1994.

7. Brandt, D., Reimold, W.U. and Smith,C.B., Rb-Sr dating of alkaline and mafic intrusives from the Pretoria Saltpan impact crater and environs (abstract). Lunar and Planetary Science XXV, pp. 161-162. 1994.

8. Brandt, D., Reimold, W. U., A structural and petrographic investigation of the Pretoria Saltpan impact structure (abstract). Lunar and Planetary Science XXIV, pp. 179-180. 1993.

9. Brandt, D., Durrheim, R.J. and Reimold,W.U., Geophysical signature of the Pretoria Saltpan impact structure and a possible satellite crater (abstract). Lunar and Planetary Science XXIV, pp. 181-182. 1993.

10. Cockell, C. S., Lee, P., The Biology of Impact Craters - a review. Biol. Rev., 77, P. 279 - 310. 2002.

11. de Jong R.C., Reimold, W. U., The Tswaing crater museum: Developing the Pretoria Saltpan impact crater into an enviromuseum (abstract). Meteoritics & Planetary Science, v. 31, pp. A35-A36. 1996.

12. de Jong, R. C., Developing the Pretoria Saltpan Impact Crater into the Tswaing Crater Museum, Meteoritics; vol. 34, No. 4, Supp. p. A32. 1999.

13. Fudali, R. F., Gold, D.P. and Gurney,J.J., The Pretoria Salt Pan: Astrobleme or cryptovolcano? Journal of Geology, v. 81, pp. 495-507. 1973.

14. Grieve, R. A. F., Pretoria Saltpan: From volcanic to impact in 200,000 years. Meteoritics, From the Editors, v. 29, pp. 297-298. 1994.

15. Koeberl, C., Milkereit, B., Continental Drilling and the Study of Impact Craters and Processes - an ICDP Perspective, In: Continental Scientific Drilling (eds. Harms, U., Koeberl, C., and Zoback, M.D.), Springer, Heidelberg, p. 95-161. 2007.

16. Koeberl, C., An Impact Crater for the People: The Tswaing (Saltpan) Crater, South Africa, Meteoritics; vol. 34, p. 827-8. 1999.

17. Koeberl, C., African meteorite impact craters: Characteristics and geological importance. Journal of African Sciences, v. 18, pp. 263-295. 1994.

18. Koeberl, C., Reimold, W.U. and Shirley,S.B., Saltpan impact crater, South Africa: Geochemistry of target rocks, breccias, and impact glasses, and osmium isotope systematics. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 58, pp. 2893-2910. 1994.

19. Koeberl, C., Storzer, D. and Rieimold,W.U., The age of the Saltpan impact crater, South Africa. Meteoritics, v. 29, pp. 374-379. 1994.

20. Levin, G., Our Feature: The Pretoria Saltpan - The Historical Aspects. Geobulletin, v. 34, pp. 13-16. 1991.

21. McCaffery L.P., Harris, C., Hydrological impact of the Pretoria Saltpan crater, South Africa. Journal of African Earth Sciences, v. 23, pp. 205-212. 1996.

22. Milton, D. J., Naeser, C. W., Evidence for an impact origin of the Pretoria Salt Pan, South Africa. Nature Physical Science, v. 229, pp. 211-212. 1971.

23. Partridge, T., Reimold, W.U. and Walraven,F., The Pretoria Zoutpan crater: First results from the 1988 drilling project (abstract). Meteoritics, v. 25, p. 396. 1990.

24. Partridge, T. C., Reimold, W.U., Kerr, S.J. and Stanistreet,I.G., Our Feature: The Pretoria Saltpan - the Scientific Aspects. Geobulletin, v. 34, pp. 16-22. 1991.

25. Reimold, W. U., Impact cratering - a review, with special reference to the economic importance of impacat structures and the southern African impact crater record. Earth, Moon and Planets, v. 70, pp. 21-45. 1995.

26. Reimold, W. U., Koeberl, C., Partridge, T.C. and Kerr,S.J., Pretoria Saltpan crater: Impact origin confirmed. Geology, v. 20, pp. 1079-1082. 1992.

27. Reimold, W. U., Koeberl, C., Pretoria Saltpan impact crater: Impact glasses and sulphide spherules (abstract). Lunar and Planetary Science XXIII, pp. 1139-1140. 1992.

28. Reimold, W. U., Koeberl, C., Kerr, S.J. and Partridge,T.C., The Pretoria Saltpan - The first firm evidence for an origin by impact (abstract). Lunar and Planetary Science XXII, pp. 1117-1118. 1991.

29. Storzer, D., Koeberl, C. and Reimold,W.U., The age of the Pretoria Saltpan impact crater, South Africa (abstract). Lunar and Planetary Science XXIV, pp. 1365-1366. 1993.

 

 

 

* pre-1977 K-Ar, Ar-Ar and Rb-Sr ages recalculated using the decay constants of Steiger and Jager (1977) Ages in millions of years (Ma) before present.

** Abbreviations: C - Crystalline Target; C-Ms - Metasedimetary Target; M - Mixed Target (i.e.sedimentary strata overlying crystalline basement); S - sedimentary target (i.e. no crystalline rocks affected by the impact event). From Osinski. G. R., Spray J. G., and Grieve R. A. F. 2007. Impact melting in sedimentary target rocks: A synthesis. In The Sedimentary Record of Meteorite Impacts, Geological Society of America Special Paper. Editors: Evans K. Horton W., King D., Morrow J., and Warme J. Geological Society of America: Boulder, in press.

***
From Koeberl,C. Identification of meteoritic components in impactites. 1998, Koeberl, C. The Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry of Impacts. 2007 and PASSC Files. (IAB, IIIAB, IIIB, IIID - Iron Meteorite)


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November 14, 2007