Popigai Impact-explosive Crater

Popigai basin is a large negative morphostructure. It sprang up because of the collision of an asteroid which had telescoped into sediments of Siberian platforms cover and into subjacent crystalline basement. The crater had formed at double layers target. The coptomorphostructure is located at the NE margin of the Anabar shield, where dense crystalline rocks—Archean and Lower Proterozoic gneisses, schists, igneous rocks—are partly covered by gentle dipping at an angle 30′—2°–3° to NE sedimentary sequences of Upper Proterozoic, Cambrian, Permian and Cretaceous age. Popigai event had happened 33.9 million years ago. It is the biggest impact-explosive crater in Russia. This impact-explosive site has only slightly had been modified by erosion, including glacial exaration. This coptomorphostructure extends to a maximal depth of about 150–200 m below the surrounding topography, despite the presence of crater-hosted Pliocene and Quaternary deposits. Energy of explosion estimated 1023 J; thus, it was 1000 times more than by strongest volcanic explosion. At moment of collision with Earth the kinetic energy of the impactor’s motion was converted into thermal energy. The asteroid-drummer literally had vaporized, melting and shattering the surrounding rocks of Earth. It was explosion of giant energy. Popigai impact crater essentially is a typical astrobleme—structure complex, lost in many respects typical morphological quality of crater. Popigai astrobleme undoubtedly is the world’s geological and geographical heritage. The unicum complex of morphological evidence, petrography and mineral manifestations merits an adjudication of status of National Park. It may be noted at a Subject of UNESCO World Natural Heritage