The Wolfe Creek meteor crater is the world's second largest recognisable meteor crater - the largest is the Barringer Crater in Arizona.
The crater averages about 875 metres in diameter and it is 60 metres from rim to present crater floor. The crater is estimated to be less than 300,000 years old.
Because of the remoteness of the crater, it was only brought to the attention of scientists after being spotted during an aerial survey in 1947.
I was cranked right out to 18mm for this shot - one of those occasions when you need a very wide angle lens.
In case you are interested, when it rains (not very often) the water from inside the rim collects in the centre of the crater floor. Evaporation concentrates the salts in the centre and only salt tolerant plants survive. Around the rim of this salty area however, the ground is moist and the Melaleucas flourish. Outside of this rim, the ground is dry and the normal desert plants are found.
I am so glad to see this, and here is why. About ten years ago, we took our then two youngest sons, teenagers, to the Grand Canyon in Arizona. On the way there, we passed the Barringer Crater and our boys wanted to go. We got there, and there was a parking lot and visitor center. It cost $10/person, so we paid for our sons to go in, but Charlie and I stayed in the parking lot and studied a van load of wives and children from a polygamous family (apparently they were left behind too because of the fee). I imagine our sons saw something like your photo, but I never saw it. $40 would have paid for our gasoline for driving all day there and back at that time. Your photo really shows its size, and I've been told that's why we no longer have dinosaurs.
Very interesting photo and information. This really gives a good indication of the size of this crater, but will obviously be more impressive in the flesh. I like the circle of bushes in the center.
