Meteor Crater, also known as Barringer Crater, is a huge circular depression in the earth in north-central Arizona. It measures about 4,180 feet (1,275 meters) wide and 570 feet (175 meters) deep. It was formed about 50,000 years ago when a meteorite struck the earth.
In 1903, Daniel M. Barringer, a Philadelphia mining engineer, acquired the land and spent years mining for the iron meteorite that he believed lay beneath the crater floor. He never found it. Scientists believe the meteorite disintegrated upon impact. Meteor Crater Enterprises, which leases the land from the Barringer family, operates a visitors center at the site.
