A brief oral presentation giving a geologic overview of the Wetumpka impact structure was given at breakfast in order to introduce the participants to the localities to be visited during the day as well as the issues and open questions to be discussed. Wetumpka crater - Wikiwand Chance of rain 60%. The school, which would later become Wetumpka High School, provided free scientific instruction in agriculture. Top 16 Things To Do In Wetumpka, Alabama | Trip101 Website: Champs Barbeque. It is located east of downtown Wetumpka in Elmore County, Alabama. The crater is well preserved, including the original impact rim and breccia, but exposures are few owing to plant and soil cover, and nearly all are on private land. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 2023 From the Alder Grove. The park offers something for everyone, with its hiking trails, picnic areas, and playgrounds. King, D.T., Jr., and L.W. In May of 2007, Auburn University graduate student Reuben Johnson earned his masters degree studying the impact crater. Wetumpka was the setting for several scenes in the 2003 film adaptation of Daniel Wallaces 1998 novel Big Fish. 7.4/10 Good! Built using WordPress and, Steam Marble Works Tomb-Stone Factory Wetumpka Alabama 1849, Hiking and Foraging for Mushrooms in Central Alabama, Ireland L fhile Pdraig sona dhuit!. In the age of Dinosaurs, 84 million years ago, a Meteor the size of Bryant-Denny or Jordan-Hare Stadium penetrated 2,000 feet into the coastal area of the United States at Wetumpka, Alabama and created a 2.3 billion ton TNT explosion equivalent to 175,000 Hiroshima size Nuclear Bombs. The dark spot shows the area of total destruction around the crater and the thin circle line shows the extent of heavy damage and death. Alabama's birds include golden and bald eagles, osprey and other hawks, yellow-shafted flickers, and black-and-white warblers. The hills just east of downtown are the eroded remains of the rim of a five-mile wide impact crater. There is also an abundance of cypress, hickory, oak, populus, and eastern redcedar trees. The impact exposed several geologic areas Tuscaloosa Formation and Eutaw Formation. Winds light and variable. . [1,3,4]. Wetumpka Impact Crater Commission :: Tours Located about 40 miles east of Flagstaff, the 4,000 ft wide and almost 600 ft deep Meteor Craterowes its startlingly lunar aspect to both a relatively young age (about 40,000 years) and the arid. During each winter there is usually one fall of snow in the south and two in the north; but the snow quickly disappears, and sometimes, during an entire winter, the ground is not covered with snow. In the center, several communication towers are located on Bald Knob (elevation 587 feet above sea level). Day 1, 8 March: The area at the time of impact was a shallow sea. We want to thank the members of the Wetumpka Impact Crater Commission (Hazel Jones, chair, and Marilee Tankersley, chair for the 2007 Field Forum arrangements) for their essential support of this field forum and all the planning and coordination they provided for us. Wetumpka Druggist, 1910 Wetumpka Impact Crater - The Historical Marker Database The film was released in early May to a lukewarm response . The Wetumpka Impact Crater Commission is working toward the development of Alabamas Science and Crater Impact Exhibition Center to explore the event and its educational and tourism implications. Copyright TWC Product and Technology LLC 2014, 2023. Fort Toulouse The Jordan Dam is where kayakers begin their journey down the Coosa. The prevailing winds are from the news. Originally settled by the Creeks, an Indian village known as Taskigi occupied the area until the French established Fort Toulouse in 1714. By Lianna Tedesco Published Dec 9, 2021 Known as one of six above-ground crater impact sites on earth, Alabama is home to one of the rarest - and this is how you can see it. Both formations are Late Cretaceous age, but the Eutaw is much younger. Copyright (c) 2023 Groundspeak, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Select from premium Wetumpka Crater of the highest quality. It also borders the Gulf of Mexico. The Elmore County Art Guild and Wetumpka Depot Players give visitors the chance to view local art and see plays. We also thank the City of Wetumpka (Jo Glenn, Mayor) and the Elmore County Commission (Joe Faulk, chair) for their help and support. Growth and economic development slowed during World War I but picked up again with the construction of a post office in 1923 and the paving of a road between Montgomery and Wetumpka the following year. 2 million years old 2 billion years old 3 million years old . As other parts of our country lose their native qualities, Alabamas wildlands help to make our state exceptional. You can also explore old fort grounds, which are now used as a public park. Wetumpka crater - Wikipedia Entries on Waymarking.com. The hills just east of downtown showcase the eroded remains of the five-mile (8.0km) wide impact crater that was blasted into the bedrock, with the area labeled the Wetumpka crater or astrobleme ("star-wound") for the concentric rings of fractures and zones of shattered rock can be found beneath the surface. The Mercurian surface is about 3 billion years old . This circular geological feature, found in Wetumpka, is on the must-do list of many travelers. Petruny, 2007, Impact spherule-bearing, Cretaceous-Tertiary sand body, Shell Creek stratigraphic section, Alabama, USA, in Evans, K., et al., eds., The Sedimentary Record of Impacts: Boulder, Colorado, Geological Society of America and the Society for Sedimentary Geology Special Paper (in press). Thornton L. Neathery discovered the Wetumpka Crater in 1969-70 during regional geological mapping and published the first article on the subject in 1976. Its elevations range from 400 to 1,800 feet (120 to 550m). Alabamas great variety of terrain, its wild habitats and native plants and animals, rank among the most naturally diverse in the nation. To make it easy for international participants to attend the field forum, it was scheduled in the days immediately preceding the annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Houston, Texas. This is a limestone belt with parallel hard rock ridges left standing by erosion to form mountains. At this dinner, proclamations from the city, county, and the Alabama governor's office were presented. If Alabama is to retain its wildlands for the future, her citizens must learn to respect and value these increasingly rare natural characteristics.For more on Discovering Alabama, visit: Discovering Alabama's Website: https://bit.ly/3FZ0Oht Support Discovering Alabama: https://bit.ly/3F433P3 The Alabama Museum of Natural History's Website: https://bit.ly/3un9MPh The University of Alabama Museums' Website: https://bit.ly/3B4lqCw Alabama Public Television: https://aptv.org/#DiscoveringAlabama #Alabama #Wetumpka #RollTide #UniversityOfAlabama #UAMuseums Thornton L. Neathery discovered the Wetumpka Crater in 1969-70 during regional geological mapping and published the first article on the subject in 1976. Only 12 miles from Wetumpka, Interstate 65 and Interstate 85 provide access to Birmingham and Atlanta, respectively. The museum is housed in the old Elmore County Training School, built in 1925 for African American students during segregation. The group departed Wetumpka for an area in Wilcox County to view exposures of the K-T boundary that include distal ejecta with impact spherules from the Chicxulub impact. It is located east of downtown Wetumpka in Elmore County, Alabama. The heat of summer is tempered in the south by the winds from the Gulf of Mexico, and in the north by the elevation above the sea. PDF How to "See" the Wetumpka Impact Crater The Wetumpka impact crater is a great place to visit if you are interested in geology or astronomy. The Mercurian surface is about 3 billion years old . Situated on the banks of the Coosa River, Wetumpka provides visitors and residents with a view of the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Along the Gulf Coast there are seasonal runs of tarpon, pompano, red drum, and bonito.[1]. Figure 1. The citys median household income was $46,509, and per capita income was $24,105. North of the mineral region is the Cereal Belt, embracing the Tennessee Valley and the counties beyond, whose richest soils are the red clays and dark loams of the river valley; north of which are less fertile soils, produced by siliceous and sandstone formations. Its mission is to collect and preserve any materials that pertain to the county's history as a resource for the community. [5] In 2002, Christian Koeberl with the Institute of Geochemistry University of Vienna published evidence and established the site as an internationally recognized impact crater.[4]. Volunteered and invited posters were presented and participants enjoyed an evening meal at the civic center after two brief lectures by the conveners. Located in the historic city of Wetumpka, Fort Toulouse-Jackson Park is a wonderful place to spend a day. 2023 Alabama Humanities Alliance - All Rights Reserved, Educational services, and health care and social assistance (27.7 percent), Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services (18.9 percent), Finance, insurance, and real estate, rental, and leasing (6.6 percent), Transportation and warehousing and utilities (4.8 percent), Professional, scientific, management, and administrative and waste management services (1.9 percent), Other services, except public administration (0.5 percent). The U.S. impact craters on Mercury by studying the Wetumpka Crater in AL. Subsequent stops included a road cut through the western crystalline rim, a sedimentary slump deposit of mega-blocks inside the rim, an exposure of impactite slurry sands including mega-blocks, the center of the structure to see resurge deposits of polymict proximal ejecta, core samples (plus lunch and poster viewing), an example of deformation in the extra-structure disturbed terrain, and a final stop to see weathering and truncation in the crystalline rim. 788 Old U S Wetumpka, AL, 36092 - Apartments for Rent | Zillow Originally divided into eastern Wetumpka, in Coosa County, and western Wetumpka, in Autauga County, the city was incorporated in February 1834 (the east side in January 1834, the west side in February 1834). U.S. Highway 231, mainly used by commuters, runs north-south through the city. N 32.53417 W 86.20367 The Wetumpka Impact Crater is the only confirmed meteorite crater in Alabama, United States. Hiking with Hailey: Wetumpka Impact Crater - WSFA 12 News This historical marker was erected in 2002 by Alabama Historical Association. Among cultivated plants are wisteria and camellia. Close-up image of the up-lifted rock in the craters western wall. Between the Cotton Belt and the Tennessee Valley is the mineral region, the Old Land areaa region of resistant rockswhose soils, also derived from weathering in silu, are of varied fertility, the best coming from the granites, sandstones and limestones, the poorest from the gneisses, schists and slates. To the northeast of these highlands and lowlands is a rugged section with steep mountain-sides, deep narrow coves and valleys, and flat mountain-tops. The climate of Alabama is humid subtropical.[3]. Auburn University site on the Wetumpka Impact Crater. Because this happenedso long ago near the end of the Age of Dinosaurs scientistswere slow to recognize the eroded four-mile wide crater, or as-trobleme, in Elmore County, northeast of Montgomery. wEST wETuMpKA uS 231 cooSA RiVER uS 231 uS 231 FiRETowER Rd. The "posters in the field" concept used during this field forum was particularly effective in communicating ideas and stimulating discussions. It is located east of downtown Wetumpka in Elmore County. How To See The Wetumpka Impact Crater | wetumpkacraterart Take control of your data. In 2002, Christian Koeberl with the Institute of Geochemistry University of Vienna published evidence and established the site as an internationally recognized impact crater. Wetumpka, Alabama sits right on the bulls eye of the greatest natural disaster in Alabamas history. How Much Destruction Was Caused by the Meteor? Fully refundable Reserve now, pay when you stay. After the war, the city was devastated, but unlike other areas, the buildings had not been burned. The raised outline of the resulting craters edge is visible as a ridge to the east of the city; Bald Knob is the highest point on the rim. Wetumpka Crater - Encyclopedia of Alabama The average winter minimum for the entire state is 35F (2C), and there is an average of 35 days in each year in which the thermometer falls below the freezing-point. Microdiamonds' discovered at French winery point to ancient meteor Because the area would have been under sea water at the time of impact, it is said to be one of the best preserved marine impact craters in the world. Address: 231 Old US Hwy 231, Wetumpka, AL 36092. Bibb Graves Bridge in Wetumpka Lightning Strike Kills Over 30 Cows at Alabama Farm | Complex 1. Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson National Historic Park offers visitors exhibits and living-history events that trace the sites 600 years of history. The crescent-shaped ridge of hills rising up to 300 feet above the surrounding river plains measures 4.7 miles in diameter and is clearly visible to travelers entering Wetumpka on US Highway 231 and Alabama Highway 14. Though it has been overgrown and eroded . This is crossed by foothills and rolling prairies in the central part of the state, where it has a mean elevation of about 600 feet (180m), becomes lower and more level toward the southwest, and in the extreme south is flat and but slightly elevated above the sea. Suffragist Frances Griffin was born and raised in Wetumpka. Wetumpka Weather Forecasts. 15 Best Things to Do in Elmore County, AL - Travel Lens The Wetumpka impact crater is not widely known, but it is a very important . It receives its name from its soil (weathered from the weak underlying limestone), which is black in colour, almost destitute of sand and loam, and rich in limestone and marl formations, especially adapted to the production of cotton; hence the region is also called the Cotton Belt. With an impact 175,000 times greater than the nuclear bomb detonated at Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945, this comet created this natural wonder of Alabama 83 million years ago. Saturday we went on a tour of our local impact crater, the Wetumpka Impact Crater. High 92F. 4. Richmond soccer team looking to help player paralyzed from car accident, NFL player Anthony Harris helping Richmond kids with free football camp, Henrico Walmart closure causes concern with shoppers in area, Forest Hill neighborhood rock blasting to continue for two weeks, Trial for father charged in death of son found in freezer begins Monday, Detainee in custody after escaping detention facility. Learn how and when to remove this template message, Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge, Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge, Summary of Alabama Park & Recreation Sites, Interactive Map of Park & Recreation Sites, Encyclopedia of Alabama: Cultural Geography, Encyclopedia of Alabama: Black Belt Region in Alabama, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Geography_of_Alabama&oldid=1150619277, Articles needing additional references from April 2007, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, This page was last edited on 19 April 2023, at 04:35. Other native trees include ash, hackberry, and holly. Trails, River, Lake - The City of Wetumpka Like much of the rest of the state, Wetumpka suffered a severe economic downturn during and after the Civil War; its population declined from 3,000 in 1875 to only 619 in 1879. as resurge chalk deposits. Coypu and nine-banded armadillo have been introduced to the state and now also common. Wetumpka Crater | Alabama Legacy Moments Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. We arrived in time for lunch, held at a small pavilion on the plantation and provided by the Crater Commission. Once a month, the site hosts living history activities by re-enactors who present life during the French and American periods of the sites history. Geography of Alabama - Wikipedia The ridges located here are the remnants of a six-mile diameter circular feature created some 85 million years ago by an estimated 1,000-foot diameter asteroid. Thunderstorms occur throughout the year - they are most common in the summer, but most severe in the spring and fall, when destructive winds and tornadoes occasionally occur. Watch on. Wetumpka Crater Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images The Elmore County Museum, located in a 1937 former post office, is a center of local and regional history and also a research repository. North of this is the inner lowland of the Coastal Plain, or the Black Prairie, which includes some 13,000 square miles (34,000km2) and seventeen counties. The fauna and flora of Alabama are similar to those of the Gulf states in general and have no distinctive characteristics. In the Gulf region of the state grow various species of palmetto and palm. The ridges consist of a variety of metamorphic rocks and surround a central area comprised of large jumbled blocks of younger geologic strata. It is located in the Old Wetumpka Post Office next to the Wetumpka, About 83 million years ago, a cosmic object (an asteroid or comet estimated to have been about 1,250 feet, or 380 meters, in diameter) struck what is now Elmore County on the eastern side of the city of Wetumpka. However, conclusive evidence of impact origin was lacking until 1998 when David T. King, Jr. and colleagues discovered shocked quartz in a core drilled near the center of the structure. Of that number 60.4 percent were white, 33.9 percent African American, 2.0 percent two or more races, 1.9 percent Asian, 1.5 percent Hispanic, and 0.2 percent Native American. The following day was largely consumed by participant departures. How Powerful Was the Impact from the Crater? This work added to a growing body of evidence that Wetumpkas crystalline rim may instead mark the edge of a deep central basin within what was originally a much larger impact crater that has since been almost completely eroded away. King, D.T., Jr., T.L. The Petersburg Police Department found 33-year-old Darrell Morton, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Scattered thunderstorms during the evening, then partly cloudy overnight. According to 2020 Census estimates, Wetumpka recorded a population of 8,282. Weather Underground provides local & long-range weather forecasts, weatherreports, maps & tropical weather conditions for the Wetumpka area. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,220. Website: Wetumpka Impact Crater marker. "The Wetumpka Astrobleme" by John C. Hall, Alabama Heritage, Fall 1996, Number 42. The Wetumpka Impact Crater is the only confirmed meteorite crater in Alabama, United States. Top Hotels in Montgomery, AL from $60 - Expedia The Domaine du Mtore crater is relatively small for an impact crater, measuring just 656 feet (200 meters) across. Not every hilltop or mountainside is as unsuspecting as a simple part of Mother Nature's geography. Heavy snowfall can occur, such as during the New Year's Eve 1963 snowstorm and the 1993 Storm of the Century. These features were caused by the collision of large meteorites or comets with the Earth. 4. Wetumpka Impact Crater - Wetumpka - Alabama.Travel The crater is about 98 feet (30 m) deep, with sides covered in scrubby trees . In other areas, hemlock growths in the north and southern white cedar in the southwest. Please select the information that is incorrect. Guide Books for the Wetumpka Impact Crater are provided as part of each Tour or can be obtained from Dr . Low 73F. As British power increased, so did tensions between England and France, resulting in the withdrawal of the French in 1763. At extremely rare intervals the thermometer has fallen below zero (-18C), as was the case in the remarkable cold wave of the 12th-13 February 1899, when an absolute minimum of 17F (27C) was registered at Valley Head. A brief poster presentation was made by the conveners at each stop to introduce the participants to the outcrop and to the special issues to be discussed. Heavy fogs are rare, and are confined chiefly to the coast. Alabama, Craters, Elmore County, Geologic, Geological, Geology, Wetumpka. It is notable as the site of an impact by a cosmic object some 83 million years ago. Neathery, L.W. The average annual temperature is highest in the southwest along the coast, and lowest in the northeast among the highlands. Rocks in the crater melange range in age from 95 to 81.5 million years. For readers wanting to know more about the Wetumpka impact structure and the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary in western Alabama, we provide the following references. Upon return to Wetumpka, we were seated at a farewell dinner in an historic venue, which was arranged by a local utility company. This site offers articles on Alabama's people, events, sports, art, literature, industry, government, plant and animal life, agriculture, recreation, and so much more. Wetumpka - Encyclopedia of Alabama Wetumpka Impact Crater - YouTube Grab a drink at Coosa River Craft House List of impact craters in North America - Wikipedia It was confirmed only recently, after more than two years of extensive investigation and deep earth core drilling conducted on site. The valleys in the north and northeast are usually deep and narrow, but in the Coastal Plain they are broad and in most cases rise in three successive terraces above the stream. Wetumpka Impact Crater | JacobBarlow.com Thursday night I went to a lecture given by one of the geologists from Auburn University which gave a more in-depth explanation of the crater. Views from the craters interior floor, near the northern rim. Scientists say a meteor struck near Wetumpka about 83 million years ago, creating a crater that's still visible today. Its surface is gently undulating and has an elevation of about 1,000 feet (300m) above sea level. The Black Warrior River is a considerable stream which joins the Tombigbee from the east. The group spent several hours discussing the K-T boundary section and sampling the outcrop, which is well exposed in that area. Extending entirely across the state of Alabama for about 20 miles (32km) northern boundary, and in the middle stretching 60 miles (97km) farther north, is the Cumberland Plateau, or Tennessee Valley region, broken into broad tablelands by the dissection of rivers. The Wetumpka impact crater is a large impact crater located in central Alabama, United States. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. It is one of the few above-ground impact crater locations in the United states and one of only about six in the entire World. g the Meteor Crater in AZ. These landowners have stated that geologists should not venture on their land without prior notice and without specific written permission. In 1836, an East Coast newspaper declared that Wetumpka (along with Chicago) was one of the most promising cities in what was then referred to as the West. By 1841, the state government had completed a penitentiary in Wetumpka; in 1845, when the decision was made to move the state capital from Tuscaloosa, Wetumpka, and Montgomery were the top choices for the new location. We are most grateful for their help. Today the results can be seen via Google Maps as a 5 mile wide Crater in Central Elmore County where the town of Wetumpka and the Coosa River rest on its Northwest Rim. Fort Jackson became the judicial center of the area, and court sessions were held there until 1818, when Montgomery County was created. The Wetumpka impact crater is a large impact crater located in central Alabama, United States. King, D.T., Jr., J. Orm, L.W. In the Appalachian Valley region the Coosa River is the principal river; and in the Piedmont Plateau, the Tallapoosa River. However, the Mobile River system has a high incidence of endemism among freshwater mollusks and biodiversity is high. Here you will find a plaque about theWetumpka Impact Crater. Rising up out of the Alabama Coastal Plain, the, crescent-shaped crater was formed when a large meteor Game birds include bobwhite quail, duck, wild turkey, and goose. At Gray, our journalists report, write, edit and produce the news content that informs the communities we serve. American black bear, racking horse, yellow-shafted flicker, wild turkey, Atlantic tarpon, largemouth bass, southern longleaf pine, eastern tiger swallowtail, monarch butterfly, Alabama red-bellied turtle, Red Hills salamander, camellia, oak-leaf hydrangea, peach, pecan, and blackberry are Alabama's state symbols. It extends from high mountains to low valleys and sandy beaches. It is one of the most well-preserved impact craters on Earth. However, conclusive evidence of impact origin was lacking until 1998 when David T. King, Jr. and colleagues discovered shocked quartz in a core drilled near the center of the structure. Originally settled by the Creeks, an Indian village known as Taskigi occupied the area until the French established Fort Toulouse in 1714. "[4] A 1,000-foot (300m)-wide[4] meteorite hit the area about 80 million years ago. PDF Numerical and Experimental Analysis of Wetumpka Impact - Usra Download coordinates as: KML This list includes all 60 confirmed impact craters in North America in the Earth Impact Database (EID). per night. Wetumpka Impact Crater - Wetumpka, Alabama - Atlas Obscura