Aerial view of Meteor Crater near Winslow, Arizona.

This crater is ~1.2 km in diameter and ~170 meters deep. The crater is the result of an impact of a 40- to 50-meter iron-nickel asteroid roughly 50,000 years ago. The rim of Meteor Crater rises some 45 meters above the surrounding plain. However, since the crater first formed, erosional processes have reduced the height of the rim. Meteor Crater has remained so well-preserved to this day due to the relatively young geological age of the crater coupled with the arid climate of the region. The relative lack of erosion led to this feature to be recognized as the first crater made by a celestial body.