Massive Crater Produced by Wind, Not Meteorite
A mile-wide crater in Nebraska thought to have been formed by a meteorite actually was produced by wind, researchers from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln said.
The Bartak Depression, named for the family on whose land it is located, was identified in 1992. Kansas researchers said it was made by a meteorite, probably about 1,000 years ago--a conclusion that received much attention in the media because it would represent the most recent major meteor impact.
But the Nebraska team found that the soil at the site was virtually identical to that at other depressions known to have been produced by wind.
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Compiled by Times medical writer Thomas H. Maugh II
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