Bratton Township near Peebles in Adams County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Serpent Mound Impact Crater
Photographed by Craig Doda, November 18, 2018
1. Serpent Mound Impact Crater Marker
Serpent Mound sits within a large crater almost nine miles across. The bedrock in the center of the crater has been thrust upwards to between 400 and 900 feet above its original position, while an outer ring of bedrock has dropped from at least 200 feet to as much as 800 feet. In all, about seven cubic miles of rock was smashed!
The Serpent Mound crater doesn't look much like other known impact craters, such as Meteor Crater in Arizona, but millions of erosion have erased many of the surface features typical of such years of craters. Recent research has shown that the area does indeed represent the remnants of a large crater from a meteorite impact.
Arizona, but millions of erosion have erased many of the surface features typical of such years of craters. Recent research has shown that the area does indeed represent the remnants of a large crater from a meteorite impact.
Did the people who built Serpent Mound choose this location because they recognized that is was a meteorite crater? Probably not, but we may never know for sure.
You are now standing where a meteorite slammed into the earth more than 256 million years ago!
Topics.
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Location. Marker has been permanently removed. It was located near 39° 1.482′ N, 83° 25.755′ W. Marker was near Peebles, Ohio, in Adams County. It was in Bratton Township. It was on Ohio Route 73 0.9 miles west of Horner Chapel Road (County Road T-116), on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 521 Horner Chapel Rd, Peebles OH 45660, United States of America.
We have been informed that this marker is no longer there and will not be replaced. This page is an archival view of what was.
Regionally, this marker was in Southern Ohio Hill Country. It was also in the American Midwest, in the Ohio River Valley, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it was in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian
Photographed by Craig Doda, November 18, 2018
2. Serpent Mound Impact Crater Marker
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location: Astronomical Alignments at Serpent Mound? (a few steps from this marker); Exploring Serpent Mound - Frederic Ward Putnam (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Who Built Serpent Mound? (within shouting distance of this marker); Welcome To Serpent Mound (within shouting distance of this marker); Serpent Mound (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named What Is An Effigy Mound? (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named The Serpent Mound (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named The Village Site (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Peebles.
Other markers no longer nearby. Who Built Serpent Mound? (was a few steps from this marker but has been permanently removed); Astronomical Alignments At Serpent Mound (was a few steps from this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Exploring Serpent Mound (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); A Missing Coil? (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); The Serpent In American Indian Traditions (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); The Shawnee And The King Of The Serpents (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); What Is An Effigy Mound? (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); The Village Site (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed).
Credits. This page was last revised on March 31, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 4, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 2,034 times since then and 101 times this year. Last updated on March 17, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 4, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
