The Barringer Meteor Crater! - The Bill Beaver Project

What record was broken?	World’s First Identified Impact Crater! Originally, scientists dismissed that this could be an impact crater because they couldn’t find a giant meteorite underneath the surface. Turns out, it got vaporized on impact!
What makes it wonderful?	What an incredible reminder of the power of the cosmos! 50,000 years ago, this 150-foot, 300,000-ton meteorite made its way across incomprehensible distances to sucker-punch the Earth right in its Winslow with the force of 150 atomic bombs! The force upended the rock strata, sending sandstone buried for 265 million years hurling into the air and across the landscape! Any of the poor mammoths wandering the plains nearby would have been hurled for miles or incinerated on the spot! What’s really unique about this crater is that climate change actually helped preserve it. As Arizona dried out, there was less rain to erode the sides of the crater, so while it isn’t quite as deep as it was originally, it’s still a very impressive crater to gaze upon!
How can I Help the Helpers?	HERE’S HOW: You can pay the entrance fee and contribute toward trail and campground maintenance, sign design, and other visitor services! You can become a member of the American Meteor Society! You can become a member of the International Meteor Organization!
Where is this place?	Interstate 40, Exit 233 Winslow, AZ 86047 From Flagstaff: ~44mi (71km) — 0.8hrs From Phoenix: ~186mi (300km) — 3.1hrs From Tucson: ~304mi (490km) — 5.1hrs From Yuma: ~363mi (585km) — 6.1hrs
When should I go?	The Meteor Crater is open daily from 7:00 AM until 7:00 PM, Memorial Day through Labor Day, and from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM the rest of the year!