Gosses Bluff crater

Gosses Bluff crater photographed from the ISS.

Gosses Bluff (Gosse's Bluff) is an impact crater in Northern Territory, Australia. Today the crater measures 5 km (3 mi) in diameter and is 150 m (500 ft) high. It is located 175 km (109 mi) west of Alice Springs at 23°49′ S 132°19′ E.

The crater was created by a meteorite impact approximately 142.5 ± 0.8 million years ago in the Upper Jurassic, devastating more than 20 km² (8 square miles). The original crater was about 22 km in diameter but has been reduced over time due to erosion and is exposed to the surface.

To the Australian Aborigines it is known as Tnorala and is a sacred place to the Western Arrente Aboriginal people. The crater is now located in the Tnorala Conservation Reserve.

From the ridge along the West MacDonnell Range, along the Larapinta Trail, the view of the crater is quite dramatic, showing high ridges and an obviously circular shape. A well lies at its centre.

External links

Gosse Bluff from the north, approximately 30 kilometres away

* Google Maps image
* Tnorala (Gosse Bluff) Conservation Reserve
* Earth Impact Database
* Nice photo of Gosse Bluff ©Yann Arthus-Bertrand 'Earth from above with Fujifilm and UNESCO'