[meteorite-list] Strange Phenomena in a Meteorite Crater

From: Michael Groetz <mpg4444_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 2010 09:48:24 -0500
Message-ID: <ad733151001050648n179201dbj645c2326847cd8c9_at_mail.gmail.com>

Strange Phenomena in a Meteorite Crater

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/27448/

Strange phenomena have been happening in Gulong Village, a round pit
with a diameter of 1.8 kilometers, since ancient times. It is found
that they are due to a meteorite strike in the area.

According to Chinese Science Bulletin, when Gulong villagers get water
from wells, there is always a layer of oil on top of the water. In
addition, after the black soil from this village is dried, it can burn
in fire.

Trees, grasses, crops, and other plants grow very well in the village.
Currently, there are 64 families in the village, 30 of which are
surnamed Feng. The villagers rarely get sick, so the village is known
as a longevity village.

The villagers live a self-sustained life as the rural area is very
slow in developing. Without any industry, the environment has little
pollution. Because the village is surrounded by mountains, it is very
isolated and rarely affected by the outside world. Therefore, these
phenomena are likely to be related to the pit itself.

Experts have offered the explanation that tens of thousands of years
ago, a large number of plants died and was converted into coal, so the
soil became peat. As the soil contains a large amount of coal, it can
burn. At the same time, water?s inability to flow through the peat
results in oil suspension in the wells.

So how was the pit formed? After three years of investigation, a group
of researchers headed by Dr. Chen Ming from the Guangzhou Institute of
Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences published a paper in
2007 confirming that the Liaoning Xiuyan pit is a meteorite impact
crater. After the meteorite strike, the deformation and melting of
rock and mineral matter formed the pit.

Chen analyzed the material in the pit and estimated that the meteorite
strike happened 50,000 years ago. Water accumulated in the pit to form
a lake, and the sediment eventually reached over 100 meters deep.
About 39,000 years ago, the lake gradually diminished due to a gap in
the east wall of the pit, forming the present bowl-like valley.
Received on Tue 05 Jan 2010 09:48:24 AM PST