Have meteorites or meteorite craters been found in Utah?
By William F. Case
Legend
Utah Meteorites
Twenty-seven meteorite finds in Utah are listed in the Meteoritical Society’s Meteoritical Bulletin Database. Most likely there are meteorite finds and falls in Utah that are not reported. Meteorite numbers in neighboring states range from 231 in New Mexico to eight in Idaho.
Utah’s meteorites are the stony and iron types. Stony meteorites are the most diverse group of meteorites. They come from a parent body of primordial material that, unlike the Earth, did not differentiate into layers such as a core, mantle, and crust. Iron meteorites are the most familiar meteorites. They are heavy because they are mainly iron-nickel alloy, they do not weather very fast, they do not easily fragment when they fall, and, like the stony meteorites, they are magnetic. Iron meteorites come from the core of differentiated bodies. Five iron meteorites have been found in Utah. An iron meteorite found near Delta, Utah was classified as the ninth heaviest (529 kg, 1164 lbs) meteorite ever found in the U.S. at the time of its discovery.
| Utah Meteorites, Sorted by Date (data from Hey, 1966; Grady, 2000, Meteoritical Bulletin Database) |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Type | Date | Weight, kg |
Weight, Lbs (calculated) |
Comments |
| Salt Lake City | Stoney | 1869 |
0.88
|
1.96
|
Found between Salt Lake City & Echo, Summit County |
| Duchesne | Iron | 1906 |
23
|
50.6
|
Found 47km (31mi) NW of Duchesne on Mount Tabby, Duchesne County. |
| Salina | Iron | 1908 |
0.24
|
0.59
|
Weathered mass & balls with metallic core, found in Pavant Mountains, Sevier County. |
| Ioka | Stoney | 1931 |
0.3
|
0.66
|
Weathered stone exposed by plow, Duchesne County. |
| Altonah | Iron | 1932 |
22
|
48.4
|
Found 0.6km (0.4mi) SE of Moon Lake outlet, Duchesne County. |
| Park City | Iron | prior to 1935 |
12.3
|
27.12
|
Acquired by William Cole prior to 1935. Fifty years later his wife recalls that he got it while working at the Silver King mine but doesn’t know where it was found. |
| Drum Mountains | Iron | 1944 |
529
|
1164
|
At the time, this was the ninth heaviest in U.S. Found on basalt, Millard County. |
| Garland | Stoney | 1950 |
0.1
|
0.22
|
Seen falling, summer, 11AM; 1 stone recovered, Box Elder County. |
| Canyonlands | Stoney | 1961 |
1.52
|
3.34
|
Partly encrusted stone found near confluence of Green & Colorado Rivers, San Juan County. |
| Poison Spring | Iron | 1971 |
0.524
|
1.16
|
Wayne County |
| Beaver-Harrison | Stoney | 1979 |
0.93
|
2.1
|
Found on alluvial fan near mine, Beaver Lake Mountains, Beaver County. |
| Gunlock | Stoney | 1982 |
6.8
|
14.96
|
Two pieces that fit together were found 0.05km (0.03mi) apart on the south slope of Padre Hill, Washington County. The largest piece resides at UGS. |
| Cricket Mountains | Stoney | 1985 |
0.016
|
0.04
|
Found on dry lake bed, Millard County. |
| Sunstone Knoll | Stoney | 1985 |
0.16
|
0.35
|
Single mass found on west shore of Little Salt Lake, Millard County. |
| Wah Wah Valley | Stoney | 1986 |
0.009
|
0.02
|
Mass found on dry lake bed; NW corner of Wah Wah Valley hardpan, Millard County. |
| Arches | Stoney | 2001 |
0.534
|
1.18
|
Found near sandstone cliff, Grand County. |
| Tule Valley | Stoney | 2001 |
0.017
|
0.04
|
Found on dry lake bed, Millard County. |
| Greener Reservoir | Stoney | 2004 |
0.045
|
0.1
|
Found in dry wash, Millard County. |
| Tule Valley Hardpan 003 | Stoney | 2007 |
0.0107
|
0.024
|
Millard County |
| Tule Valley Hardpan 004 | Stoney | 2007 |
0.0375
|
0.083
|
Millard County |
| Tule Valley Hardpan 005 | Stoney | 2007 |
0.0295
|
0.065
|
Millard County |
| Tule Valley Hardpan 006 | Stoney | 2007 |
0.0026
|
0.0057
|
Millard County |
| Tule Valley Hardpan 001 | Stoney | 2009 |
0.0051
|
0.011
|
Millard County |
| Tule Valley Hardpan 002 | Stoney | 2009 |
0.00132
|
0.0029
|
Millard County |
| Tule Valley Hardpan 007 | Stoney | 2014 |
0.0032
|
0.0071
|
Millard County |
| Tule Valley Hardpan 008 | Stoney | 2014 |
0.015
|
0.033
|
Millard County |
| Great Salt Lake | Stoney | 2022 |
3.47
|
7.65
|
Daytime fireball streak and loud sonic boom were witnessed in Salt Lake County. Numerous pieces were recovered for testing, donation, and private collection. |
Meteorite Craters
The Geological Survey of Canada Impact Database lists four meteorite craters in Utah and nearby states. They are
- Upheaval Dome in Canyonlands National Park, Utah,
- Beaverhead Crater, Montana and Idaho,
- Barringer Crater (Canyon Diablo, Meteor Crater), Arizona, and
- Cloud Creek Crater, Wyoming (known only from drilling records).
Legend
Additional Meteorite Resources and Information
Twenty-seven meteorite finds in Utah are listed in the Meteoritical Society’s Meteoritical Bulletin Database. The odds of finding a meteorite are slim even if you see it fall. Most disintegrate before reaching the ground. For more information on meteorites and identification, please see the following resources.
Utah’s Clark Planetarium has a few meteorite experts. Contact them for local meteorite information.
Meteorite Information
Washington University in St. Louis
A Comprehensive Guide to Meteorite Identification
Aerolite Meteorites, Tucson, AZ
Meteorite Testing and Classifying Institutions
meteorite-identification.com
Meteorite or Meteorwrong?
UGS Survey Notes, 2008
What is Utah’s Largest Meteorite?
UGS Survey Notes, 2022
Have Meteorites or Meteorite Craters Been Found in Utah?
UGS Survey Notes, 2004
Do I Have a Meteorite?
Center for Meteorite Studies, Arizona State University
Article References
Additional information on meteorites can be found in the following references, which provided the data summarized in this article:
- Geological Survey of Canada, June 9, 2003, Earth Impact Database.
- Grady, M.M., 2000, Catalogue of Meteorites, 5th Edition: National History Museum, London, 690 p.
- Henderson, E.P. and Perry, S.H., 1948, Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, v.110, no. 12, 7 p., 5 pl.
- Hey, M.H., 1966, Catalogue of Meteorites, 3rd Edition: National History Museum, London, 637 p.
Survey Notes, v. 36 no. 2, April 2004
