Karla crater confirmed to be an impact structure

An international expedition completed its mission in Tatarstan.

The Karla crater, one of the about 150 large impact structures on Earth, is situated near the border of the Republic of Tatarstan and Chuvash Republic, about 163 kilometers from Kazan Federal University.

Previous research there took place in the 1980s. This time, Russian and French scientists conducted new inquiries.

“During our field research near Buinsk, Tatarstan, the impact nature of the Karla structure was confirmed. A number of paleomagnetic, petromagnetic and geochemical samples were collected,” said project leader Natalia Bezaeva (invited employee of Kazan Federal University).

Junior Research Associate Dilyara Kuzina added, “The project as a whole is dedicated to studying magnetic properties of space objects, such as craters and tektites.”

The project involves researchers from Kazan Federal University, CEREGE (France), Vernadsky Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Institute of Experimental Mineralogy of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Source text: Leisan Zinnatullina

Translation: Yury Nurmeev