Inside Barringer Meteor Crater.

What happens when a meteor hits the ground? Usually nothing much, as most meteors are small, and indentations they make are soon eroded away. About 50,000 years ago, however, a large meteor created Barringer Meteor Crater in Arizona , USA . Also known simply as Meteor Crater, the resulting impact basin spans over a kilometer. Pictured above, a tour group views the inside of Barringer Crater early last year. Historically , Barringer Crater was the first feature on Earth to be recognized as an impact crater . Today, over 100 terrestrial impact features have been identified on planet Earth. Computer modeling indicates that some of the Canyon Diablo impactor melted during the impact that created Barringer.