(meteorobs) OT-Info on Caracas Peru Sept 17, 2007 impact event

[meteoreye at comcast.net]

The recent conference discussed what has been learned so far about the unusual impact event in Peru.
This info was provided by Jon Clarke, and Austalian Geologist who san eye on these things for me.
Note quite a few interesting abstracts are linked.
Wayne

The just finished LPSC had a number of abstracts on last years Carancas impact event.  Given the fact there still seems to be some scepticism “out there” regarding this event, here are some links to the abstracts.  The authors included researchers from Argentina, Austria, Bolivia, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Peru, the UK, Uruguay, and the US.
Harris et al. PRELIMINARY PETROLOGIC ANALYSIS OF IMPACT DEFORMATION IN THE CARANCAS (PERU) CRATERING EVENT.  http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2008/pdf/2446.pdf  
Prado et al. THE METEORITE FALL IN CARANCAS, LAKE TITICACA REGION, SOUTHERN PERU: FIRST RESULTS.  http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2008/pdf/2555.pdf  
Miura MULTIPLE EXPLOSIONS DURING CRATERING AT CARANCAS METEORITE HIT IN PERU.  http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2008/pdf/2027.pdf 
Schultz et al. IMPLICATIONS OF THE CARANCAS METEORITE IMPACT.  http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2008/pdf/2409.pdf 
Tancredi et al WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE “CARANCAS-DESAGUADERO” FIREBALL, METEORITE AND IMPACT CRATER? http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2008/pdf/1216.pdf  
The impact was an ordinary chondrite, class H4 or H5, travelling at 3-6 km/s. impacting at an angle of 45-60 degrees.  Initial velocities were 12-18 km/s, mostly likely 16 km/s.   It is estimated to have had a diameter of 1.1 m, a mass of 3 tonnes, and the explosion to have been equivalent to 2 tonnes TNT. No fragment larger than a few kg was recovered.  The meteoric material has weathered very rapidly.  The impactor’s orbit was probably inclined at 25 degrees to the ecliptic and an aphelion inside the orbit of Jupiter. 
The crater was 13.6 m in diameter and 1.04 m deep from the ground surface to the submerged floor. Water has risen to the ground level.  The rim is between 1 and 3 m high. There was a strong secondary steam explosion from shallow groundwater heated by the impact.  The crater was excavated into alluvium of a dry stream bed and has a large ray, the rim has classic inverted stratigraphy.  The crater walls have slumped significantly because of their wet unconsolidated nature.  Numerous microscopic shock deformation textures were observed in the ejecta.  
A paper has been submitted to the leading peer reviewed journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters.  I have access to this at work and will keep people posted.
 Jon