Nördlinger Ries impact crater
E633928
The Nördlinger Ries impact crater is a large, well-preserved meteorite impact structure in southern Germany, famous for its circular basin, suevite rocks, and the medieval town of Nördlingen built within it.
Observed surface forms (2)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Nördlinger Ries | 1 |
| Nördlinger Ries crater | 1 |
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
geological formation
ⓘ
impact crater ⓘ |
| age | approximately 14.6 million years ⓘ |
| contains | town of Nördlingen ⓘ |
| country | Germany NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| diameter | approximately 24 kilometers ⓘ |
| discoveredAsImpactStructureBy | Eugene Shoemaker NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| ejectaExtent | over 100 kilometers from the crater ⓘ |
| formedBy |
asteroid impact
ⓘ
meteorite impact ⓘ |
| geologicalPeriod | Miocene ⓘ |
| hasBuildingMaterial | suevite used in Nördlingen buildings ⓘ |
| hasCentralFeature | slightly uplifted central area ⓘ |
| hasEconomicUse | quarrying of impact rocks ⓘ |
| hasEjecta | Ries ejecta blanket NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasMorphology | complex impact crater ⓘ |
| hasMuseum | RiesKraterMuseum Nördlingen NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasRim | low eroded crater rim ⓘ |
| hasRockType |
impact breccia
ⓘ
shocked quartz-bearing rocks ⓘ suevite ⓘ |
| hasScientificSignificance |
important for understanding suevite formation
ⓘ
key site for impact cratering studies ⓘ |
| identifiedAsImpactStructureIn | 1960s ⓘ |
| impactAngle | oblique impact ⓘ |
| impactEnergy | equivalent to several tens of thousands of megatons of TNT ⓘ |
| impactTargetRocks |
crystalline basement rocks
ⓘ
sedimentary rocks of the Swabian-Franconian Jura ⓘ |
| influences |
local topography
ⓘ
settlement pattern around Nördlingen ⓘ |
| locatedIn |
Bavaria
ⓘ
southern Germany ⓘ |
| locatedNear | Nördlingen NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| notableFor |
abundant suevite deposits
ⓘ
medieval town of Nördlingen built inside the crater ⓘ well-preserved circular basin ⓘ |
| partOf |
Danube River region
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Nördlinger Ries–Steinheim impact event NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| previouslyInterpretedAs | volcanic crater ⓘ |
| recognizedAs | type locality for suevite ⓘ |
| tourismType | geotourism destination ⓘ |
| usedFor |
Apollo astronaut training
ⓘ
lunar geology field training ⓘ |
| visibleFrom | aerial imagery as circular structure ⓘ |
| visitedBy |
Apollo 14 astronauts
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Apollo 17 astronauts NERFINISHED ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
subject surface form:
Nördlingen
this entity surface form:
Nördlinger Ries
this entity surface form:
Nördlinger Ries crater