Logoisk crater or Logoisk astrobleme is a
meteorite
A meteorite is a rock (geology), rock that originated in outer space and has fallen to the surface of a planet or Natural satellite, moon. When the original object enters the atmosphere, various factors such as friction, pressure, and chemical ...
impact crater
An impact crater is a depression (geology), depression in the surface of a solid astronomical body formed by the hypervelocity impact event, impact of a smaller object. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal c ...
in
Belarus
Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
near the city of
Lahoysk.
It is in diameter and is estimated to be 42.3 ± 1.1 million years old (
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...
). The crater is not exposed at the surface.
The crater was discovered by an accident during a routine exploration drilling near the village of in 1970s. A section was discovered with atypical materials in an unusual sequence: Quaternary deposits up to depth of 160m followed by a 230 meter thick layer of layered clays and
lacustrine sediments followed by 240 meters of
breccia
Breccia ( , ; ) is a rock composed of large angular broken fragments of minerals or Rock (geology), rocks cementation (geology), cemented together by a fine-grained matrix (geology), matrix.
The word has its origins in the Italian language ...
s, rocks previously unseen in the geology of Belarus. Three more drills made in 1976-1977 provided a clear evidence of the meteorite origin of the anomaly. Subsequent drillings mapped the crater. During the period of intensive research it was suggested that the crater may contain diamonds formed due high temperature and pressure of the impact, but there has been no confirmation.
[Охман М.В. ]
МЕТЕОРИТЫ НА ТЕРРИТОРИИ БЕЛАРУСИ
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Notes
References
Further reading
* Sherlock, S. C., Kelley, S. P. , Glazovkaya, L., A New Age for the Logoisk Impact Structure, Berlarus and Implications for the Late Eocene Comet Shower, First International Conference on Impact Cratering in the Solar System. 2006
* Glazovskaya, L. I., Impact transformation of the crystalline basement in the Logoisk astrobleme, Meteorite Impacts in Precambrian Shields. Programme and Abstracts, the 4th Workshop of the European Science Foundation IMpact Programme, Lappajarvi-Karikkoselka-Saaksjarvi, Finland, May 24–28, 2000. ed. J. Plado and L.J. Pesonen. 2000
* Masaitis V. L. et al., The Logoysk Astrobleme, 1984
* ''Глазовская Л.И., Громов Е.И., Парфенова О.В., Илькевич Г.И.'' Логойская астроблема. — М.: Наука, 1991. — 141 с., с ил.
{{Impact cratering on Earth
Impact craters of Belarus
Eocene impact craters
Lutetian Stage
Lahoysk district