Wetumpka in Elmore County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Wetumpka Impact Crater
Educational Viewpoint #3
Photographed By Mark Hilton, December 27, 2021
1. Wetumpka Impact Crater Marker
Inscription.
Wetumpka Impact Crater. Educational Viewpoint #3. You are on the crater floor inside the western rim of the Wetumpka Impact Crater, in an area called the "cliffs." After the meteor's impact, there was a massive landslide from the southern rim that brought vast quantities of clay and sandy sediment back into the crater. The effect of this event can be seen in the wide-spread red and tan crater filling deposits along Harrogate Springs Road. At the cliffs, the slide layers folded up against the harder rocks of the crater rim. The large gully is due to erosion when groundwater emerges from the buried crater rim. , Educational Viewpoint signs are part of the self-guided tour to see and understand the 85 million year old Wetumpka Impact Crater.
You are on the crater floor inside the western rim of the Wetumpka Impact Crater, in an area called the "cliffs." After the meteor's impact, there was a massive landslide from the southern rim that brought vast quantities of clay and sandy sediment back into the crater. The effect of this event can be seen in the wide-spread red and tan crater filling deposits along Harrogate Springs Road. At the cliffs, the slide layers folded up against the harder rocks of the crater rim. The large gully is due to erosion when groundwater emerges from the buried crater rim.
Educational Viewpoint signs are part of the self-guided tour to see and understand the 85 million year old Wetumpka Impact Crater.
Erected 2019 by the Wetumpka Impact Crater Commission. (Marker Number 3.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Events.
Location. 32° 31.52′ N, 86° 11.143′ W. Marker is in Wetumpka, Alabama, in Elmore County. Marker is on Harrogate Springs Road, 1.3 miles east of Jasmine Hill Road, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Wetumpka AL 36092, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. A different marker also named Wetumpka Impact Crater (approx. ¾ mile
Credits. This page was last revised on December 27, 2021. It was originally submitted on December 27, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 307 times since then and 81 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on December 27, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
