Extract date: 09/06/2026
| Name | Foelsche |
|---|---|
| Type Designation | Crater |
| Place Id | 21460787 |
| Place Type | Feature |
| Status | Recorded |
| Date Registered | |
| Location (Datum GDA94) | |
| Latitude: -16° 40' S (Decimal degrees -16.66667) | |
| Longitude: 136° 46' E (Decimal degrees 136.78333) | |
| Locality / Suburb | |
| Calvert | |
| Local Government Area | |
| Roper Gulf Shire Council | |
| History/Origin | The Foelsche impact structure is the buried remains of an ancient meteorite crater located about 85 kilometres southeast of Borroloola. It is named after the nearby Foelsche River, which in turn is named after Northern Territory police officer and photographer Paul Heinrich Matthias Foelsche (1831-1914). Although no crater is visible on the surface today, the area shows a clear circular pattern in magnetic surveys. This feature first drew the attention of geologists and led to its identification as an impact site. The structure was formally described in scientific literature in 2002, following studies that confirmed its impact origin. The crater formed when a meteorite struck the region more than 540 million years ago, creating an impact zone about 6 kilometres wide. Over time, new layers of rock and sediment covered the crater, leaving small patches of broken sandstone and disturbed rock at the surface. Evidence for the impact includes grains of shocked quartz, which can only form under the extreme pressures of a meteorite strike. Geologists believe the impact disrupted older rocks of the McArthur Basin and was later buried beneath younger sandstone deposits. Source: HAINES, P.W. and RAWLINGS, D.J. (2002), The Foelsche structure, Northern Territory, Australia: An impact crater of probable Neoproterozoic age. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 37: 269-280. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1945-5100.2002.tb01109.x |
| Date | Gazettal | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| (None Found) |