Iturralde Crater, Circular crater in La Paz Department, Bolivia.
Iturralde Crater, also called Araona Crater, is an 8-kilometre circular feature at 12°35.2′S 67°40.5′W in Madidi National Park, Abel Iturralde Province, La Paz Department, Bolivia. It lies between the Manupari and Madidi Rivers in an area of active river sediment accumulation. Unlike other young craters it is very flat, so researchers suggest it may be a sunken 'ghost' rim in soft sediments.
Scientists discovered this geological formation in 1985 through Landsat satellite imagery, sparking research expeditions over the following decades. These investigations helped researchers understand the geological history of the Amazon region.
The crater's alternate name, Araona Crater, comes from the Araona people of the region. The site lies in Madidi National Park, in Abel Iturralde Province, itself named after the Bolivian diplomat and explorer Abel Iturralde. The crater sits between the Manupari and Madidi Rivers.
Access to the crater requires specialized transportation and special permissions due to its isolated forest location. Visitors should prepare for long travel times and challenging conditions at the site.
Later analysis of samples collected in 2002 found bead clusters reaching 90 per kilogram at depths of 265 and 355 centimetres, with some glassy fragments holding hundreds to thousands of near sub-micron spheres. About 90% of the beads are rich in Al-Si-Ca-Fe oxides, with up to 4.4% TiO2; the rest are mostly iron-rich.
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