Ilumetsa
Key facts
- Country
- Estonia
- Diameter
- 80 m
- Age
- about 7,000 years
- Location
- 57.97° N, 27.42° E
Two small, wooded craters about 725 m apart near Põlva in south-eastern Estonia. The larger, Põrguhaud ('hell's grave'), is about 80 m across and 12 m deep.
Ilumetsa is a pair of small craters in the forest of Põlva County, south-eastern Estonia, about 725 m apart. The larger crater, called Põrguhaud, meaning 'hell's grave', is about 80 m across and about 12 m deep. The smaller one is about 50 m across.
What it hit. If the craters were made by an impact, the meteoroid broke up in the air and its fragments struck soft sandy sediments laid down by glaciers and meltwater after the last ice age.
Age. Small pieces of charcoal, from plants burnt and buried by material thrown out of the craters, have been radiocarbon dated. They show that both craters formed at the same time, about 7,000 years ago, when hunter-gatherers already lived in the region.
How sure is it? Ilumetsa is listed among Earth's impact structures, but the evidence is less complete than at most craters. Its rimmed, bowl shape and the matching ages of the two craters fit an impact. However, no meteorite fragments have been found, even with metal detectors, and chemical traces of the impactor are not clear. Scientists who dated the craters suggested that the impactor may have been a stony meteorite that weathered away completely in Estonia's damp climate.
Why it matters. Estonia has an unusual number of young meteorite craters for its size, including Kaali, and Ilumetsa shows how hard it can be to prove an impact when the meteorite itself has vanished.
Visiting. A forest trail leads to the craters, with information boards.
Did you know?
The larger Ilumetsa crater is called Põrguhaud, meaning 'hell's grave'.
Charcoal shows that both craters formed at the same time, about 7,000 years ago.
No meteorite fragments have been found, even with metal detectors.