El'gygytgun impact crater, Russia: Structure, tectonics, and morphology

• Main Authors: GUROV, E. P., KOEBERL, C., YAMNICHENKO, A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Meteoritics & Planetary Science Archives 2007
• Subjects: tectonics;Impact structures;Impact crater;El-gygytgyn; Chukotka
• Online Access: https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/maps/article/view/15395

The 3.6 Myr old Elgygytgyn impact crater is located in central Chukotka, northeastern Russia. The crater is a well-preserved impact structure with an inner basin about 15 km in diameter, surrounded by an uplifted rim about 18 km in diameter. The flat floor of the crater is in part occupied by Lake Elgygytgyn, 12 km in diameter, and surrounding terraces. The average profile of the rim is asymmetric, with a steep inner wall and a gentle outer flank. The rim height is about 180 m above the lake level and 140 m above the surrounding area. An outer ring feature, on average 14 m high, occurs at about 1.75 crater radii from the center of the structure. Elgygytgyn crater is surrounded by a complex network of faults. The density of the faults decreases from the bottom of the rim to the rim crest and outside the crater to a distance of about 2.7 crater radii. Lake Elgygytgyn is surrounded by a number of lacustrine terraces. Only minor remnants are preserved of the highest terraces, 80 and 60 m above the present-day lake level. The widest of the terraces is 40 m above the current lake level and surrounds the lake on the west and northwest sides. The only outlet of the lake is the Enmivaam River, which cuts through the crater rim in the southeast. In terms of structure, Elgygytgyn is well preserved and displays some interesting, but not well understood, features (e.g., an outer ring), similar to those observed at a few other impact structures.