Commune: Poznań (pow. Poznań, woj. wielkopolskie)
Framework element or context represented:
Meteorite craters.
Primary geological/geomorphological interest:
Seven meteorite craters concentrated within a small area; fragment meteorites are conserved in Polish museums.
Comparative assessment justification:
Meteorite craters are unique in Poland and one of few such type in the world.
Protection status and accessibility:
The site is protected as nature reserve since 1976. It is well accessible by tourist trail.
Character of site: Meteorite craters.
Area: 53.79 ha
Altitude: 153.8 m a.s.l.
Lithology: unspecified
Discipline: Geomorphology, Cosmogeology
Process Age: Pleistocene, *all periods
Bedrock Age: *all periods
Description of primary interest:
The area with meteorite craters in Morasko is unique object on the Polish list of phenomena cosmic events. Traces of meteoroid fall are distinctly visible. Within the area of several hundred meters covered with forest, seven craters occur. The largest of them filled by water have a diameter of 100 m and is about 20 m deep. Depressions of different size are surrounded by rims higher of one side, which reflect the direction of the impact from NE. More than 300 fragments of cosmic matter have been found, the largest ones were over 70 kg. Some of them are exposed in museums. The Morasko meteorite represents the type of iron one and belong to the Perseid shower. The impact took place 3-4 thousand years ago. The weight of the falling block is estimated to about 4500 tons but before crossing the atmosphere it was up to 50 times as large. Craters in Morasko were previously interpreted as melt hollows connected with the deglaciation or even with reproduced karst.
Literature:
HURNIK, H. 1976–Meteorite “Morasko” and the region of the fall of the meteorite. Meteorite Morasko and the region of its fall. Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu, Seria Astronomia no. 2, Poznań, pp. 3-6. HURNIK, H., KORPIKIEWICZ, H., KUŹMIŃSKI, H. 1976–Distribution of the meteoritic and meteor dust in the region of the fall of the meteorite “Morasko”. Meteorite Morasko and the region of its fall. Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu, Seria Astronomia no. 2, Poznań, pp. 27-37. KARCZEWSKI, A. 1076–Morphology and lithology of closed depressions area located on the morthern slope of Morasko Hill near Poznań. Meteorite Morasko and the region of its fall. Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu, Seria Astronomia no. 2, Poznań, pp. 7-19. KUŹMIŃSKI H. 1976–Dynamic elements of the meteorite shower “Morasko”. Meteorite Morasko and the region of its fall. Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu, Seria Astronomia no. 2, Poznań, pp. 45-63. MUSZYŃSKI A. 2000–Rezultaty badań mineralogicznych w rezerwacie „Meteoryt Morasko” (in Polish). Przewodnik LXXI Zjazdu PTG. Geologia i Ochrona Środowiska Wielkopolski. pp. 399-404. OSTROWSKI M. 2004–GEA means the Earth. Poland from Eagle's eye view, p. 36. Sci-Art. Warszawa. PILSKI A.S., WALTON W. 1999–Morasko – the largest European Iron meteoritic shower. Meteorite 27-28. POKRZYWNICKI J. 1955–About some non well known polish meteorites (English sum.). Acta Geol. Polonica, pp. 427-437. POKRZYWNICKI J. 1956–Les Météorites Polonaises. Acta Geophys. Polonica, IV(1), pp. 21-32. POKRZYWNICKI J. 1964–I. Meteorites of Poland; II. Catalogue of meteorites in Polish collections. Zakład Nauk Geologicznych, Wyd. geol., Warszawa, pp176 + XII Plates. STANKOWSKI W. 2000–Budowa geologiczna i morfologia Rezerwatu „Meteoryt Morasko” (in Polish). Przewodnik LXXI Zjazdu PTG. Geologia i Ochrona Środowiska Wielkopolski. pp. 394-398. STANKOWSKI W. T. J. 2001–The geology and morphology of the natural reserve “Meteoryt Morasko”. Planetary and Space Science 49 (2001) pp. 749-753. STANKOWSKI W. 2001. 14C and TL Dating as a Nmethod of Establishing the Origin of Kettle-Like Hollows. Geochronometria, Journal on Methodes and Applications of Absolute Chronology. Vol.20, Institute of Phisics, Silesian Univer. Of Technol., Gliwice, pp.103-106. STANKOWSKI W., MUSZYŃSKI A. 1999–Meteorite craters from Morasko. The dating of Quaternary marine and land sediments, June 21-25, 1999, Poznań, Poland. Abstract of papers, posters and explanation to field trip, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Institute of Geology, 53 p. (one). STANKOWSKI W., MUSZYŃSKI A., KLIM K., SCHLIESTSDT M. 2002–Mineralogy of Morasko meteorite and the structure of the craters.Procc. of the Estonian Acad. of Sci., Geology, Dec. 2002, 51/4, pp. 227-240. TOBOLSKI K. 1976–Palynological investigations of bottom sediments in closed depressions, Meteorite Morasko and the region of its fall. Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu, Seria Astronomia 2, Poznań, pp. 21-26.