BULLETIN OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 



Vol. 18, pp. 493-504, PLS. 54-56 DECEMBER 20, 1907 



ORIGIN OF METEOR CRATER (COON BUTTE), ARIZONA* 



BY HERMAN L. PAIRCHILD 



(Read before the Society, Decemher 29, 1906) 



CONTENTS 



Page 

 Introduction 493 



The rock strata 494 



The crater 495 



Volcanic theory untenable 496 



The powdered sandstone, "silica" 497 



The nickel-iron oxides 499 



Disposition of the meteor 501 



Name 502 



Appendix (November 10, 1907) 503 



Intboduction 



The remarkable crateriform pit in central Arizona, famous on account 

 of its association with the Canyon Diablo siderites and through the writ- 

 ings of Dr G. K. Gilbert, has lately come into special geologic interest 

 through the explorations of the Standard Iron company. Appreciating 

 the money value of the rare elements associated with a large quantity of 

 meteoric iron and believing that an enormous mass was imbedded in the 

 crater, four men with commendable enterprise and scientific interest, 

 backed by financial ability, acquired the crater and adjacent land under 

 mining law, and for four years have been probing the crater and its rim. 

 Recently two of the company, Mr. D. M. Barringer and B. C. Tilghman, 

 have published articles giving the results, to that date, of their explora- 

 tions.! 



* Manuscript received by Secretary of the Society from Censor October 31, 1907. 



t D. M. Barringer : Coon mountain and its crater. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Pliiladel- 

 pliia, December, 1905, pp. 861-886. 



B. C. Tilghman : Coon Butte, Arizona. Ibid., pp. 887-914. 



The writings of Doctor Gilbert are in the 13th Ann. Rept. U. S. Geological Survey, 

 part 1, p. 98; 14th Ann. Kept, p. 187; Science (new series), vol. 3, 1896, pp. 1-13, with 

 illustrations ; Geological Society of Washington, presidential address, March, 1896. 



The original descriptions of the Canyon Diablo siderites, with notice of the crater, 

 was published by A. E. Foote in Proc. Am. Assoc. Adv. Sci., vol. 40, 1892, pp. 279-283 ; 

 also in Amer. Jour, of Sci., vol. 42, 1891, p. 413. 



A detailed analysis of the siderite was published by O. A. Derby, in Amer. Jour, of 

 XLIII — Bull. Gbol. See. Am., Vol. 18, 1906 (493) 



