Impact crater?

Shankersbend · Dec 6, 2016

This is my first post. I am interested in meteorites, diamond pipes, deep dredging and more. I'll start with a picture of what I think is a meteorite
impact crater. It is in Okanogan county, WA. It is aprox. 70' across from ridge to ridge.

Johnnybravo300 · Dec 6, 2016

That could be. Have you prospected it yet?

G.I.B. · Dec 6, 2016

Hunt for iron. Let us know what you found.

Shankersbend · Dec 6, 2016

I have not prospected it yet. Just noticed it this summer after living by it 10 years. Will check it out next spring as I can't get to it till then. I've been interested in meteorites for many years. There may be another about 40 miles directly south. I found that one with Goggle Earth, but now I can't locate it. More research this winter
when things slow down.

smokeythecat · Dec 6, 2016

Depending on the underlying rock, it could be an old sinkhole too.

MinerGirl · Dec 7, 2016

Hi Shankersbend, Welcome to Tnet. After doing a bit of research of your county I've found that there are possible Kimberlites (sp) there. I suspected this pic was a Kimberlite due to the collapsed center of the "Cone" shaped hill. If it were a Meteor crater it would have had to be a straight down "Hit" from a Meteor. The West slope of your pic shows less vegetation which could indicate a more alkaline soil from which trees do not grow very well. I'd more be inclined to search for diamonds within a 1 and 1/2 mile radius of this Cinder Cone.

It has been recently shown that more than 2000 Kimberlites have gone unexplored along the Colorado/Wyoming State Line district. All diamond producing yet possibly small diamonds. Washington State also has many Kimberlites that are yet to be explored.

Happy Hunting...just my opinion.

MinerGirl

Shankersbend · Dec 7, 2016

Hello MinerGirl....Whoa....O.K.....you just hit a nerve. You are letting a cat out of a bag talking about 'pipes'. First off, where did you find your research on pipes in the
Okanogan? I've been 'sitting' on a possible small 'swarm' of pipes for 18 years. Not sure what to do with them, or if I want to do anything.

'Pipes" come in 3 forms; kimberlite, lamproite, and possibly lamprophyre (sp). Not all are diamondiferous. If they are, diamonds will be either industrial or gem (there is more reward for industrial stones than gems due to the volume of production).

The Okanogan in the U.S. lies at the southern end of an archon. That's potential. This subject needs a new thread. Now as to the picture of what I still think is a 'pipe',
First some background. The ground you see in the pic is all glacial till (quite alkaline, good call). Bedrock is about 50' under so it's not a sinkhole, not a cinder cone.
Meteors strike at all angles. I think this is a small volume-high speed impact. I did some research on getting it identified but it is very difficult so next spring I'm going
to go dig around. I can see it everyday and it's not going anywhere, and it's on BLM land.

Back to 'pipes', when I found what I think are pipes I was not inclined to look for "indicator" minerals. I just started crushing samples of rock and spending days on the microscope. I finally found a microscopic diamond and had it examined (in matrix) by a GIA jeweler. He said it was a diamond. I then took the sample to a diamond prospecting company in B.C. Canada. They were only interested in Kimberlite, not lamproite, which is what I think I have. I did not get the sample back, to my deep regret.

Yup, there are a lot of 'pipes' out there to be found, just ask Chuck Fipke.

MinerGirl · Dec 7, 2016

Hi again. I thought you'd ask for my reasearch..lol I may have associated Okanogon County with the BC land just across your border where there are fairly new reports of a mining company announcing they found 100 new Kimberlites and another 11 new Kimberlites that they have also found many diamonds. a couple mining companies and their reports/research is outlined at:

24hgold.com (Diamonds North Resourses LTD and Uranium North ? also the Adamera Minerals LLC..Crown Jewel Gold Deposit etc..

Adamera Minerals I think is Poland/China owned and has large Leases in both your county and BC just to your north.

I realize that is not a Cinder Cone, my bad for naming it that. I was being lazy due to not wanting to look up how to spell (possible) Lamprolite..lol

Also I tend to "skip" connect the diamond "facts" and other studies and try to make an educated guess as to what your photo may be.

A quick few things that I lumped together are: Lake Wenatchee, in your county, is known for good Garnet rockhounding and Garnets are excellent indicator rocks for Diamonds. Also the very rare mineral you have there: zektzerite

Next the fact that your photo looks just like the hundreds of Kimberlites I have scanned through using Google earth while looking through the Wyoming/Colorado State Line district. Some of those have perfectly round depressions filled with water now but the rim around these small "round" lakes looks like white sand but is the alkaline soil from the deep earth Kimberlite rock....

Anywho...I'll look later as I have to run now. It has been fun researching your county and was surprised to see you even have a large Uranium mine there...Cool...Also found some things relating to the Florite/Florine there. One of my favorite minerals...

MinerGirl

Johnnybravo300 · Dec 7, 2016

Craters can often be mistaken and easily overlooked even by geologists themselves.
I recently read about the Tonko Linament along the 38th parallel and it really opened my eyes. One of the craters are here in Gunnison and it's been prospected by a fella named johnny tonko. Hes on one of my Colorado forums. He has discovered even more craters along the route that were previously missed. There is interesting info on this if you want to read about it. He's travelled across the us prospecting and identifying these craters.
The Hartman's crater here in Gunnison is over 8 km across and resembles a ring dike, which is what the geo dept at western state has been teaching forever even though they can't explain why or how a dike would form mysteriously
There is no reason for it to form there and no way without volcanic activity.

They've been mystified all this time but no one ever questioned it. The "experts" at western wouldn't budge on the notion of it being an impact crater so he really did his fieldwork and now has 4 claims there that produce meteorite specimens. He's made the geo dept there look like amateurs in their denials and they still seem to scoff even though there is all the evidence. Last I had heard their egos were still hurt hehe.
The supposed ring dike was formed as the huge meteor hit, it actually bent the crust!
Also this area was covered by a shallow sea at that time and there's evidence of a mass extinction and of massive clastic waves hundreds of feet tall and all the sea life was decimated in an instant. Not only that but the fact that he's recovering meteorite specimens tells it all. Western wouldn't hear of it.
Most of the craters are very old and very eroded by this point so it was easier to just call it a ring dike I suppose. Facts and research aren't important to them apparently, but why would they need facts when they can just guess? That's much easier and you don't have to leave the AC.
I had thought about taking a geo class this winter but to hell with them. I wouldn't put any stock into what they teach at this point and I don't need their opinions when I doubt any of them have prospected for anything except a cush job with summers off haha. .
Just because someone claims to be an expert, don't take it as law. There are plenty of trained monkeys out there. They are neither prospectors nor professionals in anyway besides repeating info in a classroom so I was happy to see them squirm.
There are new discoveries made everyday by guys and gals just like us.
The same professors also claim all the gold has been found and we all know that's bs!
There are most likely an infinite number of possible craters and it could take a lifetime to explore them all but that's the fun and excitement!
With possible craters or suspected meteorites I'd always get a second or even a third opinion. There are definitely those out there with credentials that look good hanging on the wall and they don't know chit.

Just my 2 cents and good luck!!