Piccaninny
Key facts
- Country
- Australia
- Diameter
- 7 km
- Age
- less than about 360 million years
- Location
- 17.43° S, 128.43° E
A round depression about 7 km across among the striped sandstone domes of the Bungle Bungle Range, Purnululu National Park, Western Australia.
Piccaninny is an eroded impact structure about 7 km across in the Bungle Bungle Range of Purnululu National Park, in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
What can be seen. The structure is a round depression among the famous beehive-shaped sandstone domes of the Bungle Bungles, with their orange and black stripes. Its round shape is clearest from the air.
What it hit. The impactor struck Devonian sandstones and conglomerates.
Proof of impact. Geologists found rocks with features produced only by the shock of an impact, which confirmed its origin.
Age. The youngest rocks affected are Devonian, so the impact happened less than about 360 million years ago. Its exact age is unknown.
Why it matters. Piccaninny lies within a World Heritage Site and shows that impact structures can be found even in some of the most visited landscapes. The impactor is unknown.
Visiting. Purnululu National Park is open in the dry season. Scenic flights give the best view of the structure. Do not collect rocks in the park.
Did you know?
Piccaninny lies within Purnululu National Park, a World Heritage Site.
It is surrounded by the beehive-shaped domes of the Bungle Bungle Range.
Scenic flights give the best view of its round shape.