Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Geology, Palaeontology & Archaeology => Topic started by: kazbert on 27/09/2017 21:44:24

Title: Has the Chicxulub crater location been moved by plate tectonics?
Post by: kazbert on 27/09/2017 21:44:24

The Chicxulub crater formed nearly 66 million years ago. Is it surprising at all that the Chicxulub crater is still round enough today to be recognizable as a crater?  Where was it located before plate tectonics moved it to where it is now?

Title: Re: Has the Chicxulub crater location been moved by plate tectonics?
Post by: RD on 28/09/2017 08:25:21

Quote from: kazbert on 27/09/2017 21:44:24

The Chicxulub crater formed nearly 66 million years ago. Is it surprising at all that the Chicxulub crater is still round enough today to be recognizable as a crater?

Continental-drift shifts the tectonic-plates more than squish them, so the circular-shape will be preserved.

Quote from: kazbert on 27/09/2017 21:44:24

Where was it located before plate tectonics moved it to where it is now?

(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=71501.0;attach=24025;image)

https://youtu.be/cpiMGXVPulE (https://youtu.be/cpiMGXVPulE)

Title: Re: Has the Chicxulub crater location been moved by plate tectonics?
Post by: kazbert on 28/09/2017 22:42:14

Quote from: RD on 28/09/2017 08:25:21

Continental-drift shifts the tectonic-plates more than squish them, so the circular-shape will be preserved.

True, but there are notable exceptions.  North America's Rocky Mountain range exists within the North American Plate, not at a plate boundary.  And the Yucatan peninsula exists relatively close to where the Caribbean Plate meets the North American Plate.

But I suppose that the existence of the approximately round Chixculub Crater means that location it did not see much distortion over the past 66 million years.