BOOK

"Meteorite Craters - How scientists solved the riddle of these mysterious landforms"
by Kathleen Mark
published by The University of Arizona Press, Tuscon 1987
xi + 288 pages

Book cover

This book is a non-technical account of how meteorite craters came to be recognised as hypervelocity impact craters by the scientific establishment.

In the words on the inside dust jacket of the book:

"As recently as two hundred years ago, the idea that stones can fall from the sky was regarded by scientists as absurd; and despite the observation of meteorites during the nineteenth century, their craters were not studied until less than a century ago. Today more than a hundred known meteorite craters suggest that the earth underwent intense meteoritic bombardment early in its existence, and interest in craters has brought geologists and astronomers into closer association than ever before.

Kathleen Mark's account of these natural phenomenon is more than a description of landmarks, as it reveals the slow process by which the scientific community came to recognize meteorite craters and comprehend their significance. Controversy raged over whether such sites as Meteor Crater in Arizona were attributable to meteorites or volcanism, and it was not until the 1960s that accurate criteria for the recognition of impact sites were finally determined. Yet the origin of a number of sites, such as the Bushveld Igneous Complex in South Africa remains a controversy to this day.

Although accounts of the recognition of meteorite craters have been scattered throughout the scientific literature, until now no book has offered a non-technical history of the subject. 'Meteorite Craters' unfolds the story of these scientific discoveries in a highly readable fashion."

The book has 16 chapters, followed by chapter notes, and an extensive bibliography. There are 62 black and white illustrations.