Steinheim meteorite crater
E452596
The Steinheim meteorite crater is a well-preserved impact structure in southern Germany, formed by a meteorite collision during the Miocene and now a notable geological and tourist site.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Steinheim Basin | 1 |
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
geological formation
ⓘ
impact crater ⓘ meteorite crater ⓘ |
| age | Miocene ⓘ |
| belongsTo | European impact structures ⓘ |
| centralPeakName | Steinheimer Mittelberg NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| contains |
Miocene lake deposits
ⓘ
impact breccias ⓘ mollusc fossils ⓘ shocked quartz ⓘ suevite-like deposits ⓘ vertebrate fossils ⓘ |
| country | Germany NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| diameter |
approximately 3.8 km
ⓘ
approximately 4 km ⓘ |
| discoveredAsImpactStructure | 20th century ⓘ |
| distanceTo | about 40 km from Nördlinger Ries crater ⓘ |
| formationProcess | meteorite impact ⓘ |
| geologicalAge | about 14.5 million years ⓘ |
| hasCentralPeak | true ⓘ |
| hasCentralUplift | true ⓘ |
| hasEducationalTrails | true ⓘ |
| hasMuseum | Steinheim meteorite crater museum NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasVisitorCenter | true ⓘ |
| impactEnergy | several megatons of TNT equivalent ⓘ |
| impactingBody | stony meteorite (likely) ⓘ |
| impactStructureType | complex crater ⓘ |
| knownFor |
fossil-bearing sediments
ⓘ
well-exposed crater morphology ⓘ |
| languageOfName | German ⓘ |
| locatedIn |
Baden-Württemberg
ⓘ
Steinheim am Albuch NERFINISHED ⓘ southern Germany ⓘ |
| namedAfter | Steinheim am Albuch NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| near | Nördlinger Ries crater NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| overlainBy | lacustrine sediments ⓘ |
| partOf |
Nördlinger Ries–Steinheim double impact
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Swabian Jura NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| postImpactEnvironment | crater lake ⓘ |
| preservationState | well-preserved ⓘ |
| protectedStatus | nature reserve (parts) ⓘ |
| scientificSignificance |
key site for impact cratering studies in Europe
ⓘ
reference site for Miocene stratigraphy in southern Germany ⓘ |
| tourism | popular regional tourist destination ⓘ |
| usedFor |
geological research
ⓘ
paleontological research ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Steinheim Basin