Hello! KZfaq seems to be showing this video to a lot of new people - and if you're one of them, welcome! 🥳 If you enjoyed this field trip with Dr. Cannon, good news: There's another one coming along in January! It features a magma almost-island, a tour of ancient, bizarre-looking rocks, and us standing on the Earth's surface as it was more than a billion years ago. You can click here to subscribe if you'd like an update when it launches: kzfaq.info Thanks for being here! 👋

I'm a retired 71-year-old geologist. This fellow is a classic geologist and I love his near final statement about being ready to accept new ideas. This winter, for the 2nd time, I have the privilege of taking nearly twenty geology students to the deserts of the SW to help them better understand geology. At the very least, as one of the other retired geologists said last year to the students, "you have to be able to keep reinventing yourself." That phrase says what being a geology is all about. The science is so young that inevitably our ideas change, and one must change their mind frequently to keep up. It is a great, great science.

I was a Blaster on a highway job on what was thought to be the outer rim of the crater of this impact by Webbwood on Hwy 17 in Ontario. The granite had waves in it that looked like it had been melted plastic. Very cool video! Thanks for doing it.

I did my doctoral work on this ejecta deposit. Really fascinating, and it was wonderful getting to work with Bill Cannon. I am so glad to see such an accessible and well made video about it!

As Michigander and a bit of a rock hound I found this absolutely fascinating. Thank you so much for sharing

I’m a retired geologist and earth science educator. I took oceanography from Bob Dietz during my undergraduate days. He came to us as a visiting professor from Scripps and was near the end of his career. Still, he had great stories of his work the early plate tectonics pioneers as well as his impact studies. Many years later I visited the K-Pg boundary deposits at Raton Pass on the CO-NM border. If you’re up for a field trip, you should visit it yourself. My takeaway is that I'm reminded again what I used to tell students and museum visitors when I was a exhibit interpreter is that every once in a while the Earth has a very bad day.

I knew Sudbury was an impact site, but had no idea how massive and (literally) earthshaking that was. Very cool to learn!

Kudos to Dr. Cannon for his humble approach to forwarding knowledge.

That “roadside park” you guys were at is about 3 miles from my house. When I worked for the township here, I used to mow the lawn and empty the garbage bins there. Great video.

Ms. Dahl, I'm a retired geologist. I received an M.S. in '75 from a university in Indiana and cannot believe how much the understanding of the science has changed in that fifty years. I'm currently the head of my graduate alma mater's geology alumni and we're putting trips together to inspire geology students. I'd love to have you meet students over our fall break in 2024 at Marquette to discuss the Sudbury Impact. You''re doing great work! I would enjoy corresponding with you to know some good outcrops up that way.

My wife and I are both geologists and she got her bachelor’s at a Michigan College and is familiar with the UP. We used to vacation near Sudbury, but decided to go to the UP in 2018. We had a fabulous trip. The Sudbury Breccia, of course, but also the Porcupine Mountains, an ancient volcano complex, and the copper mines of the district. Don’t miss the mineral museum at Houghton, but they request you allow two days.

SW US desert Geologist here. My hat is always off to my colleagues up north and east who pick through trees, brush, dirt, and moss to see the rocks beneath. Good post. I love how enthusiastic undergrads are!

Dr. Cannon seems so charming.😊 I’m sure spending time with him was just an absolute blessing.

I've lived in Sudbury for 52 years now, I knew rocks were tossed from the impact as far as Michigan but this is the first time I got to see one (outside that building). We have lots of rock and mining here and is a great place to live. 330 lakes in our city! Thanks for the video and sharing!

My father was a geologist at the Falconbridge mine in Sudbury Ontario. It’s cool to see how far the impact area spread. Thank you.

I’m a 73 year old, living 100 miles west of Sudbury. My only regret is not becoming a geologist. This field was never presented to girls my age. My retirement is enhanced by everything I can now learn on a daily basis. Videos like this are fascinating. Thank you so much.

Maybe I am biased, but as a Michigander, this is good content. I love finding interesting little things to do around the state during the summer camping season. I think this would make a lovely stop along the way, Thanks!

You are a fine KZfaq docent for interesting geology in the Great Lakes region. Thank you for introducing me to the Sudbury impact and Dr. Cannon!

I spent my childhood working and vacationing at my grandfathers cabin about 30 minutes from Sudbury and was always entranced by the scale of the mining and local geological interest in the area. I’m very glad to have found this video.

Its thanks to videos like this that helped me solve a 30 + year old curiousty related to the sudbury impact. Living on a farm 200 miles south of Sudbury about 40 miles west of Toronto, I happened upon this weird rock in the field. Knowing it was out of place from the local geology I brought back to the house with the aid of a front end loader. It was heavy and about the size of a microwave, it was mostly grey with smaller darker rocks embeded in it. My father right away said it was just a old chunk of concrete, I always questioned that as why would it be so far from any structure or possible dumping site, and why would anybody mix in such small rocks ...basically more concrete than rock not very financially smart I thought. The rock was placed in front of one of the farm builldings where I presume it sits to this day, slowing getting buried again. It wasn't till about 3 years after we had sold the place did I find out what it was, after watching a youtube video on another meteriote impact. It was piece of melted rock ejected from the impact in sudbury called seuvite.

Being a lifelong citizen of sudbury the geology and landscape of this area is so amazing, you can see the crater where it’s mostly flat farmland and grazing land and surrounding the area is loads of igneous rock cliffs and mounds known as the sudbury igneous complex. Unfortunately due to the mines here there are a lot of issues like pollution and health problems. There is a beautiful charm this place brings and it has a few attractions like a giant nickel and a massive smokestack you can see from miles away.

I grew up in eastern Washington state and North Idaho. My father was a forester for a railroad company and geology was a side interest of his. One of the great mysteries of the region was how the Scablands of Eastern Washington were formed. The area covers nearly a quarter of the state. A geologist came up with the radical theory of Lake Missoula and huge ice dams breaking, releasing millions upon millions of gallons of water across what now is North Idaho and Eastern Washington. For decades other geologists thought he was crazy, but step by step, discovery after discovery proved him to be correct. The Scablands are strange and beautiful in their own particular way. The story of the geology of your region and how it was changed by the Sudbury Impact and the theories behind it remind me of Great Lake Missoula, the ice dams and the formation of the Scablands. Thank you again for a well told bit of Upper Michigan history, and in this case, geology.

I visited Sudbury in the 1960s and I remember that as we traveled east toward Toronto for many miles we saw nary a stick of wood, bare rock. This was caused mainly by the emissions of sulfur dioxide by smelting operations leading to severe acidification but remember that since nickel is rare on the surface of the Earth many plants and animals are rather intolerant of it, e.g nickel allergy. My recollection is that even way back then Sudbury was widely thought to be an impact basin. Enjoyed your video very much. Thank you for tackling this subject that has always been of interest to me. By the way my wife is from Sault Ste. Marie and I grew up in Marinette WI.

Loved hearing him say be open to new ideas. We are given the impression that geologists and archaeologists don’t like people challenging the information they built their career on, so ideas move forward reluctantly. I hope the young people watching this question everything and always be ready to be wrong. It is an amazing g trait to be able to hit reset based on new data.

Great video! I actually grew up in Sudbury and lived there for 28 years. I've seen the city change throughout the the 80's until I moved away in the early 2000's. It once looked like a different planet before there was a big reforestation done in the 80's. 🇨🇦🇨🇦

Alexis your energy and excitement is contagious. Your interview with Dr. Cannon was fantastic. The Wonderful world of KZfaq has become better because of you recording Dr. Cannon's experience and wise advice at the end of keeping an open mind.

that's neat, I've been to sudbury a few times and always found it interesting how suddenly the rocks seemed to change in that area.

IANAG - I am not a geologist, lol. But I learned a bit watching this. Thank you for making this video. It was fascinating, as I didn't know about this event. Your energy and enthusiasm is contagious. Bill is so knowledgeable, not just about the event and how it changed rocks, but the history of discovery. Well done! Again, thank you.

This is one of my favorite videos you've done so far (and that's saying a lot after the toxic sand vacuum)! I had zero idea about this before. Its impressive that not only are you able to constantly finding new fascinating material, but that it is all about MICHIGAN! Great work!

This is so crazy to find this video! This summer we learned of the Giant crater while visiting Sudbury and the aforementioned big nickel. In October we were visiting Jasper Knob and the banded iron formation in the Marquette area! We also love the geology of the Thunder Bay area and are from Minnesota. This video brings so many things together!

Thank you Alexis and Bill for sharing the history of our Michigan geography.

I was born and raised in Michigan. I'm thankful to you and Bill for putting the knowledge out about the place I call home. One of my hobbies is rock polishing, and I'm tempted to get some of the chert/banded iron to polish one side. I think it would be cool.

Thank you ! I have been curious about Michigan's geology, but no idea it was THIS interesting! Thanks for sharing Dr. Cannon and his insights with us.

This really explains a lot about the rock formations that I see on M-95 up by Koski Corners. Lots of banded iron layers, and then something totally different on top of it. I have to wonder how thick the Sudbury layer was before the last glacial age. The glaciers must have scraped a fair amount of that away and pushed it south into Wisconsin.

I love those seasoned and knowledgeable professionals about their life's passion about our world! So personable too!

I am thrilled with this. Fascinating subject. Alexis and Dr Cannon are treasures. Thank you for imparting this knowledge to us. It is wonderful to hear of the formation of Michigan.

I love all the stories about what took place in Michigan you are finding and sharing!

This is simply amazing! You make geology as exciting as a mystery novel (so take that, Sheldon Cooper!). Thanks for another fascinating insight into my old vacation spot in the Upper Peninsula.

Thanks for sharing your study into a fascinating subject! Much respect for not just investigating this topic, but tracking down an expert and recording your findings. I feel that people like you are the reason our species advances so quickly. My daughter lives in Sudbury. If only I had a nickel for every relative I have that lives in Sudbury :) Cheers!

What nice man. I like how he said it was a pleasure to pass along information in ways other than highly technical papers that hardly anyone was ever going to see.

Wow! I had no idea. I have a lot of relatives in the Sudbury area, some of whom made their living mining nickel. It’s great that you were able to find this fascinating man and that you are enabling the passing on some of his knowledge. Cheers from Moose Jaw Tim

I love the energy. It’s easy to see the absolutely unbridled curiosity you’ve got going on and it’s wonderful.

Thank you for this! I love to learn about impacts and geology in general and this was fun. Keep up the good work!

Really interesting discussion. Bill is amazing. Shared with my buddy from Michigan!

Whole video has me thinking of Joe Pera. That guy loves his rocks!

So the video title could also be "The Meteor that named his own impact crater". Funny how nature reminds us constantly that we don't understand everything and there is always so much more to learn. This gives me hope for the future. A well presented video as always and I am looking forward to many more videos from you in the future. :)

I love science, geology and the history of our planet. You bring out excitement and enthusiasm in your teaching of these subjects and I thank you.:-)

I recently found your site, and every time one of your articles appears, I watch it. You are entertaining and really do a great job investigating things you see. Keep it up. I love your energy.

This is the most mind blowing thing I've learned in decades. You going and finding this man and the harmonious why you bring this science to light is food for the mind and soul. I'd adore seeing you two do something else in the future. What's he think of the Clovis Comet? The Carolina bays and Dakota rainwater basins? Ejecta? More please!💚🌏🌍🌎🌠

🤔Alexis, the enthusiasm and sense of curiosity and wonder which you exhibit in your videos is quite infectious, whether the topic is scientific or historical. You are a fantastic educator or ambassador on arcane subjects which many might find boring. I’m really a fan of your channel because no matter the subject your enthusiasm makes it interesting. I grew up on the Niagara River between Lakes Erie and Ontario and love the Natural History and general history of the Great Lakes region. The western end of the GL’s is less familiar and your videos have given me an appreciation of the state of Michigan which I visited six times as a youth when traveling across Ontario between Buffalo and Mt Clemons to visit family for Thanksgiving. I wish you continuing success for creating such a great channel. 😎

just found this video... but through all the interesting insights about our state - i am super impressed with your ability to hold that camera at shoulder height for as long as you did. my arm is sore just from watching it...

I live in Sudbury and the landscape here makes the area very interesting. I have a series of Bike riding videos on KZfaq through trails around Sudbury that is all new growth forest and broken up bedrock, It's very beautiful area and worth checking out. Another interesting thing about Sudbury is how fast nature rebounded once the Nickle smelter stopped belching heavy metals into the air.

I had geologists in my family and though I didn't get to attend university myself, I still love seeing people geek out over rocks!

Awesome and informative. Gets me thinking about how much impact (no pun intended) geology has on the evolution of life. And I love the painting of Winterhold behind you on the couch.

Wow! How could you possibly hold me through this entire video? Was it really that interesting? YES!! Awesome work on the video and thank you so much for the mass of information.

Just found this and it's amazing! Your enthusiasm and the incredible story about this earth event made it fun to learn. Rock on Alexis!

Very cool video Alexis! I love the UP so I subcribed a while back when I saw you posting your videos on UP sub Reddits. Imagine my surprise when you do one on my hometown of Sudbury! I've driven though Houghton and Marquette quite a few times and had no idea about this stuff. I learned a lot from this video! I work in engineering consulting for the mining industry. Mining is the reason this city continues to this day, and we wouldn't be here if it weren't for this huge impact.

We live almost smack dab in the middle of the US, and when you dig on our property, you find a wide range of rocks that are not from our local area. I have been looking into the source of these rocks, believing they would be north and carried south by glaciers. They are typically worn smooth as an additional hint. It is hard enough to find info on my little subject, (where concentrations of this or that rock are found, etc) let alone something like this. I can see why it took 2 people 10 years, and they were smarter than I am too.

Your bubbly personality and fearlessness to take on these subjects about things in the UP, which I am adopting as my new home, is very catchy and alluring!

Thank you for this post, and for the Many days and weeks and hours of energy and sweat you invested in research, interviews, and editing a story out of all that. You've made a fascinating story. This new subscriber is looking forward to more.

Awesome video, Alexis! Probably my favorite one yet.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...you have an amazing way of weaving a tail, not just telling the facts. You connect dots across space and time to make a story that is both informative and inspirational.

Dr. Canon recommended this video during his presentation at the Marquette Regional History Center last night, and I'm so glad to have found your channel! Thanks for making such wonderful content!

I loved this video! Thanks for looking into this, and for presenting what you found so clearly and nicely. For the past fifteen or so years I've been learning about geology in various ways. This kind of video is invaluable. Dr. Cannon is so right to say that lots of people are never exposed to geology, or, if they are, not in a way that feels inviting or exciting. Dr. Cannon and many other USGS scientists have discovered and investigated so much that is astonishing, exciting, and delightful about the Earth (and about planetary science elsewhere). I am grateful to him, and to many others for enriching my life.

Im a meteorite collector/hunter , and rockhound, this was an awesome video. Love hearing about geology

A dude named Dr Cannon for a video about a massive rock hitting earth?! What a big get!

Hi Alexis, Thanks for the very interesting interview with ex-USGS Geologist Dr. Bill Cannon and your active presentation and full of curiosity questions. You have a talent to keep your audience interested in the presentation. Well done!! My former thesis degree professor Dr. Jorge Oyarzun - deceased December 2021 - told me once that he was interested in Banded Iron Formations (called BIF's). He had studied the 350 to 450 ºC crystallized Fe ores deposits origin in Chile, mainly formed by Magnetite and Hematite, related to the active Cretaceous Nazca Plate subduction zone activity; these deposits extend for about 750 km. northwards from La Serena to Iquique, parallel to the Pacific ocean coast. So my curiosity was about the Sudbury meteoric impact and Ni deposits link which is why I opened your PW and interview. I am amazed at the size of the impact crater and the major earthquake magnitude 11 (never heard a place with such a record!!), the widespread reach and the size of ejecta. But suddenly in came the BIF's rock fragments. I joined the geology school at Universidad de Chile in 1966 and finished in 1971. My main subjects of interest have been Geochemistry, Metallogenesis and Minerals exploration; of course I am very interested in the tectonic evolution of Chile which is connected to the lengthy Fe and Cu districts which lie on parallel tectonic belts. I have seen several circular impact structures on satellite imagery of Chile, albeit much smaller, in the range of 1 to 5 km. diameter; once saw a major circular structure in Argentina near the border area with Chile, which may have been some 15 to 20 km. diameter in the High Flat Puna region. Aam unaware of anybody studying meteorite impact structures in Chile, but some very beatiful Pyroxene meteorites were found in the Chile High Puna flats near the border with Argentina by a former student of mine. So you are welcome to start their research in Chile. Please accept my regards for your exciting interview work and enthusiasm, and pass my respects to Dr. Bill Cannon for his dedication to geological science research. Jaime ARIAS Geologist - U. de Chile 1971 Ph. D. Minerals Exploration Applied Geochemistry - London University UK, 1978

Great video ! Also , Bill was such a great guy to listen to ! Well done to you and Bill both ! Thanks for such a interest piquing video ! I had no idea at all about this area's history!

Banded iron formed when the oxygen in the atmosphere rose above 4% and precipitated the iron dissolved in water in the “great oxygenation event”. The same structure is present in Western Australia and is a kilometre thick of up to 60% iron (not iron oxide - actual iron content - you can arc weld posts to the rock on the ground). The other possible reason for iron rich sediments stopping forming in an area is it no longer being in sea water due to uplift or direct burial.

I really liked this video! I live in Ohio and I had never heard about this impact. Thanks for bringing it my and our attention. If possible, bring some more material like this.

Wow what an incredibly underrated channel. How do you not have at least 10x more subs?

This is a very nice video, and is a great example of what can be done with a relatively small budget by a regular person. I’m really happy I found your channel. Thank you for making this.

Incredible video, thank you very much for your efforts to educate

Love it. I'm a troll from below the bridge, but have spent time on the Moonscape in Marquette a couple times. Now I have a new place to explore thanks to this video. Has anyone mapped out this ejecta rock layer in other areas beyond Thunder Bay and Marquette? Would be very interesting to see a map of this rock layer, as it might even provide some info on the angle of impact. (Plus, I'd love to do some rockhounding and find a piece of Sudbury ejecta for my personal collection!)

Dr. Cannon’s response to your final question are pure wisdom which we should all live! Another excellent video.

Great video Alexis! The KZfaq algorithm brought me here lol. Very informative and insightful. Having been born and raised in Sudbury as a kid you kind always knew about the meteor and such. However never realized just how impactful and far reaching the debris field was. Very enlightening to learn from your vid with Dr. Cannon. I have subscribed and look forward to more of your vids. Cheers had have a great New Year! P.S. The upper great lakes region is a very beautiful area, that more people should get to know and visit!

Such a cool thing to learn about! If I understand right... one day theres banded iron formation then the next like 130ft of ejecta sitting on top of it??? That's crazy to think about!!!

Slate Islands on the far north shore of Lake Superior are the uplift of another meteorite impact. I think it's a bit younger than the Sudbury impact. Now I'm wondering if there are other known impact sites in and around Michigan. Sounds like another late night search of the interwebs for obscure things for me. Lol!

I loved "earth science" as a child. My teacher was amazing. Truly taught me to think. Thx 4 this!!

I appreciate the way you took a technical subject and presented it in such a clear and accessible manner. I particularly liked the insets you displayed, while your guest described what you were showing. I got more out of his explanations then I would have from words alone. I think you have amazing communication skills.

During my first and only earth science course, we were told at bottom of the Great Lakes there was a very hard rock that resisted the glaciers from carving out the Lakes any deeper, or that's how I interpreted it. To me, the Great Lakes create a round shape with Michigan in the middle-ish. I always wondered of they could be a giant ancient crater, like a dolomite pie crust with some of the soft filling scraped off. My teacher said, no.

So much to learn. So little time. The Sudbury area is such a important geological feature in North America and should be visited by everyone with a mind for science or interest. Visually impressive.

Michigan Tech grad here, and enjoyed not only the video but the quick trip across campus as well. I'm originally from Northern Michigan (LP, not the UP ... though I'm married to a Upper who is also a MTU grad). Loved the Keweenaw Peninsula ... so much history and interesting things in the area, though some are now gone.

What a wonderfully bubbly personality! So captivating! You made the delivery of this information quite fun and entertaining! I cant wait for more!

Very interesting! Thank you for doing your videos.

now you need to do a video on the banded iron formation and the great oxygenation

Thank you, Alexis and Dr. Cannon, really fascinating ! I live in Ontario and was in Sudbury this summer but there was so much construction, we couldn't just pull over. We will definitely be going back!

This is the coolest video I've seen in quite a while. Just imagine what it must've looked like to see that ejecta flying in from the impact site. It must've bounced and skittered for quite some distance after first landing. Amazing...

Thank you for this wonderful video. I live in lower Michigan and did not know about this meteorite. I do have a question, though. These rock formations you showed did not seem to be glaciated. How is that? Thank you again. P.S. I subscribed.

You’re in my neck of the woods! My mom lives in Calumet. I know that rock well. I have Sudbury ejecta from Thunder Bay. I see you met Bill. You should probably go to an ILSG meeting. I was in Marquette with ISU in early September.

Nicely done. Very informative. Made me feel like I was back in Geology class at Michigan State University in 1983.

What a great video with an event so well retold in such an easy and readily understood way.

Have you done any stories about the obsidian in Michigan? I found 2 large pieces in my yard many years ago. They weren’t put there by a human because my mother-in-laws family settled the land and they used to find it when plowing.

I was a geology major until I took up partying full time (experiencing the’60’s)and I find this really interesting. So, where did the nickel in Sudbury come from? Was it part of the meteorite? Or moved closer to the surface by the impact?

Thank you! You've got your feet on the ground investigating the material facts instead of just reading what others said. Well done!!!

This is so cool. I've driven by that little park a few times but I don't think I've actually stopped there. I had no idea about any of this. Now I want to go..but too much snow now. I'll have to remember when the snow melts for sure. I'm definitely excited to see your next video with Dr. Cannon. I'll have to watch your video about the Pictured Rocks too. The bell has been rung.

JSYK, Sudbury is not pronounced sud-barry, it's pronounced sud-burry. I'm speaking as a Canadian who's live all his life in Ontario.

I’ve been in that area many times rock hunting and I did not know this story. Awesome stuff. Thanks so much for passing on this knowledge

Thanks Alexis! Awesome video. Lived in MI all my life, worked with a good friend who came from up by Sudbury, whose ancestors were nickel miners there. His dad is nearing 100, and still golfs and likes his Crown Royal! 😊

This is the second of your videos I have seen. Great stuff. Keep it up. Informative and entertaining. Who could ask for more?