Arizona Crater (Barringer Crater, Devil's Canyon) is one of the largest and best-preserved meteorite craters located near Diablo Canyon in northern Arizona (USA). The current dimensions of the crater: diameter - 1220 m, depth - 184 m, the elevation of the rampart is 50 m. the power of the explosion of 1000 atomic bombs, similar to those dropped on Hiroshima.
Its fame is determined by many reasons. First of all, this is the first such formation, for which it was proven that it arose when a huge meteorite hit the Earth. More than 30 tons of meteorite iron debris were collected in and around the crater, the largest of which weighed 639.1 kg. In addition, around the crater in the soil and on the surface there is a mass of small and minute balls and dust grains of meteorite iron. Moreover, this is the first meteorite in which diamonds have been found.
The first people settled near the crater 25 thousand years ago. And the Indians who inhabited this area told the legend that once the fiery god descended in a chariot, after which a crater remained. Therefore, the Indians carried the fragments of the meteorite as amulets and placed them in the graves of their dead relatives.
Scientists only became aware of the existence of the crater since 1891. In 1902, mining engineer Barringer bought a piece of land with a crater. Barringer spent 26 years of his life looking for a meteorite and convincing others that his crater was of extraterrestrial - meteorite origin. From that time to the present, the Arizona crater is the only one natural site of this type, privately owned. It belongs to the third generation of the Barringer family.
The crater was used more than once as a backdrop for filming fantastic films about the travels of earthlings to other planets, about the arrival of huge UFOs in their secret harbor, closed from prying eyes.
This is not the largest meteorite to hit Earth. In Antarctica, on Wilkes Island in 1962, a meteorite crater with a diameter of 241 kilometers and a depth of 800 m was discovered. In Canada, on the coast of the Hudson Bay, there is a crater with a diameter of 443 km.
Jackson Cole
Devil's canyon
Captain, death has settled in these mountains. Death and horror!
What do you mean by that, Manuel?
The old Mexican, looking around restlessly, spoke more quietly
What he said, Captain: death is there, it comes from there
Ranger Jim Hetfield looked from the weather-beaten face of old Manuel named Peon - to where far, in the northwest, the mountains of Tinaha rose like a dark wall on the horizon. This wall, broken and studded, like fangs, with pointed tops, was dark blue and purple; here and there dry streams crimson with bleeding wounds on its body, or gape with blackness of the neck of the canyons.
Hatfield stopped his mighty bay on the outskirts of town by the river. Between the mountains and the town, for many miles, splendid pastures stretch like an undulating emerald blanket. True, in some places, suddenly, alien patches came across shreds barren desertso characteristic of southwest Texas, bald patches where gnarled saxaul and bizarre cactus fought a grueling battle for existence. But in general, this smiling land was wrapped in a rich green outfit, edged along the edges with silver streams
Hatfield turned back to the Mexican, whose face expressed a funny mixture of canine devotion and awe.
What do you mean by that, amigo? he repeated his question.
Old Manuel glanced around nervously again. No one could hear him, but he spoke even more quietly, almost in a whisper.
Earlier, Captain, our guys went there, ”he said,“ they went to hunt game, dig the roots of herbs that grow only in these mountains. This has been the case for many years in a row ... Young people left for the mountains and returned with full sacks and loaded donkeys. And then suddenly everything changed. Once the guys went to the mountains - and did not return. Others went to look for them and also disappeared. Still others, armed and ready for anything, went to the mountains and returned with nothing, found nothing. Our people did not go there anymore. And then ... then, Captain, the Midnight Riders came and - He!
Yes captain. He came, and the horsemen with him. They began to take people away from the coastal villages by force. They promised to give a job and pay well, but death was the pay!
Hatfield's gray eyes narrowed. He had heard what the Mexican latifundists and mine owners do when there are not enough workers.
They raid the villages of the peons - peaceful Mexican peasants - and take these simple-minded laborers away without asking whether they want it or not.
Well, maybe they have it there, on the other side of the Rio Grande, it is so customary, but here, on this side of the border, this number will not work. Although these people are Mexican by blood, they are citizens of the state of Texas, and, as such, can count on protection from the state.
Hatfield began to patiently sort things out in order.
Still, Manuel, who is “He”? Who is he - a large landowner? Does he have a big ranch?
The old Mexican hesitated painfully. Sweat ran down his wrinkled cheeks. Finally he whispered, barely audible:
This is El Ombre Sin Kara ...
“A Man Without a Face,” Hatfield translated, reflecting on the real meaning of this Spanish expression. He knew this blooming land and its people too well to take such phrases literally.
Are you saying that his face is not visible, or that he has scars on his face?
Manuel nodded slowly.
Si, he said, el sicatriz, scar, yes, he has no face.
Hatfield had to be content with that.
And the people who are with him? - he asked.
Manuel just hissed in anger:
They are devils!
Well, yes, of course, I understand they are devils - for you - the ranger agreed. "And none of those people ever came back?"
Manuel's eyes darted nervously. He licked his parched lips. His wrinkled face reflected a whole gamut of contradictory experiences. He suffered. Finally he burst out - he spoke quickly and hotly.
No, Captain! Some have returned - to die!
Hatfield was about to ask again, but the Mexican beat him.
Wait, Captain, wait! And now there is still one of those who returned. Do you want to see him, Captain?
Sure! I would like to hear what he has to say.
You won't hear anything. Captain, ”objected Manuel. - But to see - you will see. Let's go!
Hatfield's bay horse stalked along behind the Mexican, who made his way to some wretched shack a few hundred yards away. He knocked on the door, muttered something in Spanish, and motioned for the ranger to dismount.
Trusting his bay to the evening breeze, Hatfield followed the Mexican in.
It was dark inside. He had to bend down to avoid hitting the low lintel with the crown of his wide-brimmed hat.
Hatfield hesitated for a minute, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. At first he could not distinguish anything, only some shadows. Then one of these shadows turned out to be an ancient old woman - more Indian than Mexican. There was a bed in the far corner of the room, something lying on it, moving slightly and making sounds like muttering. Hatfield came closer.
Here, - said Manuel, - one of those who returned from there.
Jim Hatfield bent over the bed, trying to get a good look at the man lying on it.
What he saw was once a man. Now it was something, but not a person, rather a thing. This something writhed slowly and continuously, like a hibernating snake. Yes, most of all this eerie, incessant stirring reminded Hatfield of the convulsions of some vile reptile. There seemed to be no bones in this writhing body beneath the wrinkled muscles. ... Huge empty - blind - eye sockets stared into space. Wheezing escaped from a festering, toothless ulcer gaping at the site of the mouth.
Feeling a fit of nausea, Hatfield straightened up and involuntarily stepped back so as not to see this terrible picture. He suppressed a feeling of disgust, a wave of pity swept over him - and immediately it was replaced by blinding rage.
What did they do to him? - The question sounded an adamant demand for an answer.
Old Manuel shrugged his shoulders, expressively in Spanish, and uttered the sacramental phrase of the Mexicans, which always helps them out when they meet the incomprehensible:
Who knows?
Hatfield studied the reclining man. Over the years of service as a ranger, he has seen more than once traces of the most sophisticated torture generated by the Spanish and Indian fantasy, but this was something new.
Some kind of poison, probably, - he suggested. And again a wave of insane rage swept through his entire being. Fury towards those from whom this monstrous cruelty emanated.
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This article will focus on the remarkable natural formations bearing names associated with the Devil and located in the United States. All of them are considered mysterious places where mysterious and frightening phenomena occur.
Devil's canyon
The southwestern United States, Arizona, has one of the largest canyons in the world. It is a giant earthen bowl 1200 meters in diameter and 180 meters deep. Presumably, the crater arose more than 40 thousand years ago, and a 50-meter meteorite helped it to form, which fell to Earth. Its weight was 300 thousand tons, and it flew at a speed of 45-60 thousand km / h.
When the meteorite fell, an explosion occurred, which can only be compared with the explosion of 1000 atomic bombs, similar to those dropped on Hiroshima. Fragments of meteorite iron can still be found around the canyon.
Even before the time when scientists became aware of this area, the Indians who lived earlier often visited the canyon. They came to make spears and tools for themselves from the fragments of the meteorite. Local tribes have a huge number of legends and stories associated with this sacred place.
There are legends that near the Devil's Canyon almost every night you can observe the glow of the air and often a UFO hovers over the canyon, and locals talk about mysterious geomagnetic anomalies inside the crater. It is all these various fantastic stories that gave the name to the canyon, which is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists every year.
More recently, a museum was built near the canyon, which contains photographs of all the "lunar" astronauts in full space clothing. But no one even realizes that all these pictures were taken not on the Moon, but in Devil's Canyon.
Devil's ring
In Pennsylvania, along the Delaware River, in Bucks and Franklin counties, there is a mysterious and frightening mountainous area called the Devil's Ring, Stone Garden or Ringing Rocks. The rocks here really have a voice of their own.
Bringing superstitious horror to everyone who happens to hear this, from time to time they begin to spontaneously "sing", making ringing sounds in a very wide range of heights and loudness - from barely audible howls to trumpets and bell ringing... Moreover, a person experiences uncontrollable fear among these rocks, even if they are silent.
To hear the sound of these stones yourself, you need to hit them with a hammer
This is the only place on Earth where such phenomena have been recorded. Except for the singing colossi of Memnon. But those, firstly, are man-made sculptures of the ancient Egyptians, and secondly, their phenomenon is explained in a simpler way: the wind of the desert finds loopholes in the crumbling monuments and, breaking through the cracks, emits sounds chilling the soul. Maybe something similar is happening with the Ringing Rocks.
Scientists who honestly tried to solve the riddle of nature became interested in the devil's ring, but could not come to a consensus. They studied the outside and internal structure rocks, their shape and size, however, did not reveal anything special.
"Musical abilities", according to them, are equally possessed in this strange place by both individual cobblestones and huge blocks of indefinite shape weighing up to several tons.
It was experimentally tested the assumption that dense homogeneous, fine-grained rocks - quartzite, rhyolite and basalt, of which those rocks are composed - are ringing, but it was not confirmed.
And no one has yet put forward other versions. Scientists could not explain the origin of the reddish-brown color of the tops of the Ringing Rocks, which sharply contrast with the neighboring mountains, which seem to consist of the same lithological material.
American researcher Ivan T. Sanderson discovered another anomaly in the Devil's Ring zone. He found a strange plateau with an area of \u200b\u200b28 km 2, surrounded by a dense ring of forest 15 meters high. Trees, grass and shrubs are everywhere you look. But this plateau is like a bald patch, on which there is not even a hint of flora or fauna - no signs of vital activity of even the most primitive living organisms, not to mention the traces of animals common to mountains and forests.
In their reports, Sanderson and his companions noted that, every time they set foot on the plateau, they experienced a sense of animal fear.
Devil's hole
In the deserted area of \u200b\u200bNevada, there is a unique formation - a deep crevice called the Devil's Hole. Legends claim that this is a window into underworld, in other words - to the underworld. The hole through which he comes to visit us evil spiritwhen he is planning to do something dirty on earth. The devil, you have to understand.
However, for such an important person the word "hole" sounds somehow disrespectful. Probably more suitable here, say, the Devil's Gate. Geologists believe that the mysterious sinkhole to the "center of the Earth", the true depth of which no one has yet been able to measure, is a gap that arose on a fault in the earth's crust, where two tectonic plates were not too tightly fitted to each other.
The dimensions of the slit-hole on the scale of the planet are small - only 9 x 12 meters at the surface. But its depth is impressive. Below 120 meters from the surface, the crevice is filled with groundwater, which formed an underground lake in this place. What is the depth of the lake itself is unknown. It is possible that the crevice goes into the bowels of the planet deeper than the famous Kola superdeep well.
It is even more interesting further. Researchers have documented an abnormal content of heavy hydrogen, deuterium, in calcite deposits on the walls of the sinkhole. But natural heavy hydrogen is the basis of "heavy water", in which, as you know, nothing living can exist.
Even plant seeds do not germinate in it. And if an animal is given such water to drink, it will simply die of thirst. But here's the paradox: in the underground lake of the Devil's Holes, not unicellular and not worms, but rare species of fish, live and reproduce calmly.
200 mysterious and mysterious places planets Kostina-Kassanelli Natalia Nikolaevna
Devil's Canyon Equivalent to 8000 atomic bombs
Devil's canyon
Equivalent to 8000 atomic bombs
A huge round crater with a diameter of 1219 m and a depth of 229 m, located in the American state of Arizona, of course, is not a devil's hoof mark on the ground. Devil's Canyon was created about 50,000 years ago by a meteorite. Moreover, according to scientists, the meteorite was by no means gigantic in size: the diameter of the celestial body was only about 50 m, and the earth's shaft around the funnel, which it created by crashing into our planet, has the same height today.
According to astrophysicists' calculations, the ancient meteorite weighed 300,000 tons, and its flight speed was 45,000-60,000 km per hour. The power of the explosion from the fall of the Arizona meteorite was 3 times higher than the power of the famous Tunguska meteorite and was equal to the power of 8000 atomic bombs, similar to the one that once american air force dropped on Hiroshima.
The fragments of the meteorite, which consisted mainly of nickel iron, which were found in abundance near the colossal crater, have long been used by the local Indian tribes who lived in these places. The Indians considered the crater a trace of the visit of the god of fire and sewed the smallest particles of meteorite into amulets, and also put them in the grave of the dead so that the god of fire could distinguish the sons of his people from others.
Canada has a meteorite crater 443 km in diameter. The largest crater is located in Antarctica, on Wilkes Land. The diameter of this crater is 500 km! So Devil's Canyon is far from the largest meteorite crater known on our planet, but it is the best preserved one. And today, thanks to the dry, desert climate, the trail left by the distant space alien looks almost the same as it did 50,000 years ago.
Today the crater is visited by crowds of tourists who also hope to find a piece of a celestial body that has split into tiny parts near it. Of course, finding even a small particle of a meteorite is extremely difficult, but enterprising traders constantly offer gullible visitors to Devil's Canyon to buy "a real meteorite found right here"!
Since, according to scientists, Devil's Canyon is the closest to the lunar landscapes, the training of American astronauts took place here, who were to land on a satellite of the Earth. Meteorite crater served the space specialists, because it was thanks to him that inaccuracies in the design of astronauts' suits were eliminated.
There is a museum on the edge of Devil's Canyon, where visitors can see an interesting selection of materials on meteorites and other celestial bodies, as well as admire photographs of astronauts in full "lunar" clothing.
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