Seabed 'Fried Egg' May Be Impact Crater

Scientists believe meteor caused odd formation
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 18, 2009 4:16 AM CST
Seabed 'Fried Egg' May Be Impact Crater
An echo-sounder hydrographic survey discovered this formation on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean south of the Azores.   (EMEPC)

Portuguese scientists mapping the Atlantic Ocean seabed believe a strange formation they have discovered may be one of the very few undersea impact craters ever found. The depression—dubbed the "Fried Egg" because of its shape—is roughly 4 miles wide with a central dome. The researchers believe it was created when a meteorite slammed into earth some time in the last 17 million years. They plan to send a submersible to gather more information, the BBC reports.
(More meteor stories.)

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