Huge impact site

[Tarri]

I recieve earthquake notifications throught the USGS. I clicked on this site where there was an earthquake and found a huge impact crater, or what looks like one. Take a look.


http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Maps/10/330_-55.php


Tarri

 

[domi]

I recieve earthquake notifications throught the USGS. I clicked on this site where there was an earthquake and found a huge impact crater, or what looks like one. Take a look.

Hi Tarri,

The crescent trench in the picture is most likely the result of tectonic plate activity in that area.
I base that on correlating the location of the islands east to east-south-east of the tip of South America (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Zavodovski-Location.JPG) with a tectonic plate map (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Plate_tectonics_map.gif)


Dominique.

 

[Laura]

I dunno... that's pretty round... not likely to occur in natural processes, specially not plate movements.

Maybe Tarri has found something?

 

[Tarri]

Well, it did make me wonder what is out in the oceans that no one has seen. I would love to get my hands on some of the undersea pics they have taken of the bottom of our oceans. Bet there are some pretty amazing formations and such.

Perhaps it isn't an impact site. But it seems to round to be natural. I will keep my eye out for any more of these formations. Tarri

 

[Rick]

Yeah, it looks like plate tectonics I think. The islands are located in the small Sandwich plate which is to the east of Scotia plate, looking at the tectonic map link above.

 

[Nienna]

Well, it did make me wonder what is out in the oceans that no one has seen. I would love to get my hands on some of the undersea pics they have taken of the bottom of our oceans. Bet there are some pretty amazing formations and such.

Yeah. And I bet there are some pretty amazing man-made formations down there as well.

 

[anart]

I dunno... that's pretty round... not likely to occur in natural processes, specially not plate movements.

Maybe Tarri has found something?

I tend to agree, though I certainly could be missing something. How would plate tectonics create a round crater like that?

 

[Zadius Sky]

How would plate tectonics create a round crater like that?

Good point. I don't think it does at all. There may be other factors.

Some factors came to mind:
1) It might be an impact crater or...
2) The robots in the underground cities may have accidently set off an explosion or...
3) The result of STS/STO battle.


osit.

 

[domi]

I dunno... that's pretty round... not likely to occur in natural processes, specially not plate movements.

Maybe Tarri has found something?

I tend to agree, though I certainly could be missing something. How would plate tectonics create a round crater like that?

Well, I don't see a crater.
What I see in the picture is an ocean floor mountain range (islands) and a subduction zone (trench) which to me indicates tectonic plates colliding.

If you want to look at more data go here (On-Line Imagery section):
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/announcements/announce_predict.html

This link here talks about subduction zones:
www.waterencyclopedia.com/Oc-Po/Ocean-Floor-Bathymetry.html

Ok, just found the following that provides the answer for this mystery:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Sandwich_Trench

Also check out reference #2 for that wikipedia article and look at the shape of the Sandwich micro-plate.

 

[dantem]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Sandwich_Trench

Reading:

"The trench is produced by the subduction of the southernmost portion of the South American Plate beneath the small South Sandwich Plate. The South Sandwich Islands constitute a volcanic island arc which results from this active subduction. Mount Belinda on Montagu Island is an active volcano."

Looks like Santorini's island, but much much bigger in scale. A Huge volcano exploded there long ago creating a depression as deep as the Earth crust itself? Wow.

Double checking: "Any geologist taking iridium samples there?"