| Bow City crater | |
|---|---|
  Bow City crater Location of the crater in Alberta, Canada Show map of Canada Bow City crater Bow City crater (Alberta) Show map of Alberta | |
| Impact crater/structure | |
| Confidence | Potential[1] |
| Diameter | ~8 kilometers (5.0 mi) |
| Age | ~73 Ma Late Cretaceous |
| Exposed | No |
| Location | |
| Location | Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin |
| Coordinates | 50°26′N 112°24′W / 50.433°N 112.400°W / 50.433; -112.400 |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Municipality | Bow City, Alberta |
The Bow City crater is a potential[1] meteorite impact crater located in southern Alberta, Canada.[2][3][4][5]
The 8-kilometre-wide (5.0 mi) crater was discovered in 2012 by Wei Xie of the University of Alberta. The crater is estimated to have formed approximately 70 million years ago. The crater is not directly visible from the surface, as it is buried under approximately a kilometre of overburden. Petrochemical seismic studies provided the first clues to the existence of the crater.
"I was really surprised," said Wei Xie, a graduate student in geophysics at the University of Alberta, who presented the find on Dec. 3 at the American Geophysical Union conference. "Only a handful of these buried craters are known," she said.
The seismic map of the crater shows the structure of it quite well, with its low-lying interior and characteristic central peak. The team also noted some potentially unique features of the crater, which indicate that some of the sediments were pushed directly outward from the impact, rather than being blown upwards.
The crater has long been covered over and is estimated to be about 70 million years old. It took an analysis of data from boreholes drilled in the area and seismic wave surveys to show the giant crater below the surface. Xie and her colleagues will continue to search for definite proof."
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