The Lake Bosumtwi impact crater, Ghana

Research Article| June 01, 1981 The Lake Bosumtwi impact crater, Ghana WILLIAM B. JONES; WILLIAM B. JONES 1Department of Geology, University of Ghana, Legon Accra, Ghana Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar MICHAEL BACON; MICHAEL BACON 1Department of Geology, University of Ghana, Legon Accra, Ghana Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar DAVID A. HASTINGS DAVID A. HASTINGS 2Geological Survey Department, P.O. Box M80, Accra, Ghana Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information WILLIAM B. JONES 1Department of Geology, University of Ghana, Legon Accra, Ghana MICHAEL BACON 1Department of Geology, University of Ghana, Legon Accra, Ghana DAVID A. HASTINGS 2Geological Survey Department, P.O. Box M80, Accra, Ghana Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (1981) 92 (6): 342–349. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1981)92<342:TLBICG>2.0.CO;2 Article history First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation WILLIAM B. JONES, MICHAEL BACON, DAVID A. HASTINGS; The Lake Bosumtwi impact crater, Ghana. GSA Bulletin 1981;; 92 (6): 342–349. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1981)92<342:TLBICG>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract The 1-m.y.-old Bosumtwi Crater, Ghana, has a nearly circular shape with a rim diameter of 11 km north-south and 10 km east-west. It is surrounded by a circular depression and an outer ridge of diameter 20 km. Polymict breccias averaging at least 20 m thick with clasts as much as 5 m long occur on the outer ridge, and the crater rim shows in situ shattered rock. Patches of suevite have been found in the circular depression north and south of the crater.Analogy with better-known craters suggests that Bosumtwi has a central uplift rising to 200 m beneath the lake floor. An aeromagnetic anomaly of amplitude 50 nanotesla (nT) over the northern half of the lake is interpreted as due to a layer of magnetized fallback breccia beneath the lake sediments. The normal polarity of the breccia shows that the crater was formed during the normal Jaramillo event of 0.97 to 0.85 m.y. ago, which agrees with the magnetic stratigraphy of the related Ivory Coast microtektites. A regional gravity survey indicates a negative Bouguer anomaly over the crater. There is some geochemical evidence that the meteorite was an iron, and its mass and energy are suggested as about 108 tons and 3 × 1019 joules or 7.3 × 103 megatons. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.