Morasko—Meteorite Impact Craters in the Glacial Landscape

The Morasko meteoriteMeteorite impact cratersImpact crater are among approximately 200 documented impact structures on Earth. They were most likely formed in the mid-Holocene by the impact of an iron meteorite, which left at least seven impact craters and numerous meteorite pieces scattered over several km2. The craters were formed on slopes of the push moraineMorainepush, finally shaped around 18–19 ka BP, during the Poznań–Frankfurt retreat phase of the latest glaciation (Weichselian GlaciationGlaciationWeichselian (Vistulian)). Thus, the modern landscape is of complex origin, with major glacial landforms overprinted with impact structures. The craters are circular, bowl-shaped depressions with various cross-sectional asymmetries resulting from the interplay between the impact process and the primary pre-impact topography of glacial and post-glacial landforms. The diameters of the craters range between c. 30 and 100 m. The processes associated with the impact and their effects have been recently subjected to numerous studies, including detailed morphological and geological investigations, numerical modelling of the impact, and the quest for indicators of impact’s environmental effects. Although some issues are still unresolved, the Morasko meteoriteMeteorite impact is likely one of the best-studied small/moderate impacts globally.