Meteor Cater

The Odessa Crater, and four smaller craters, were formed in prehistoric time when a great shower of nickel-iron meteorites collided with the earth. It is estimated the event occurred some 62,000 years ago. It is the 2nd largest recognizable crater in the United States.

The shower was composed of many thousands of individual meteorites of various sizes which fell over an area of about 2 square miles. When freshly formed, the craters were funnel-shaped depressions, the largest about 550 feet in diameter and 100 feet in depth.  More than 100,000 cubic yards of crashed rock as ejected from this crater by the energy released from the impacting meteoric mass. Smaller craters in the vicinity of the main crater range form 15 feet to 70 feet in diameter and from 7 feet to 18 feet in depth.