|
TOLA's annual crater walkabout week
aroused great interest and participation this year with a number of fun
and informative events.
Kicking off the week on Thursday, March 6 was a lecture by Dr. David King
of Auburn University, the geology professor credited with proving that
Wetumpka's crater was, indeed, caused by the impact of a 1,050 foot wide
asteroid which devastated the area more than 80 million years ago.
Dr. King's team, along with
Vulcan Materials, drilled down 600 feet into the crater and found shocked
quartz, which has only been found in impact craters.
Dr. King explained that Wetumpka,
which means "rumbling water," lies along the western rim of a 6-mile wide
crater caused by a mere 25 second event. The asteroid that impacted
Wetumpka was traveling 12-15 miles per second, or 23 times faster than a
speeding bullet. It was about the size of Jordan Hare stadium, and if it
hit today, it would cause around 400,000 casualties. The impact produced,
without a doubt, Alabama's greatest natural disaster in the last 81.5
million years. |
Friday, March 7 marked the official dedication
of the historical marker placed by TOLA which explains the history of the
impact crater. The marker can be viewed in front of the Elmore County
Health Department on Highway 231.
Saturday, March 8, more than 75 people joined TOLA and the City of
Wetumpka for three guided tours of the impact crater. The tour was
conducted by Auburn University graduate students Pranav Kumar and Olivia
McCormick and members of TOLA. Participants viewed part of the crater rim
up close behind the CVS Pharmacy and then ventured
by van up to Bald Knob for a spectacular view
of the eastern rim. Additional stops were made at an abandoned sand pit
called "the cliffs" and to a spot along the gas
pipeline that the guides called "ground zero,"
the summit of the crater's central peak, where gravity is actually lower.
Sunday, March 9, the first annual
Crater Bike Ride started at 1:00 from Gold Star
Park. The riders followed a hilly 25-mile route around the crater, some
opting to finish with a climb to the top of Bald Knob and back.
Next year, the crater walk
tradition will continue as the City of Wetumpka takes over this growing
event and TOLA assumes a supporting role. |
