Remote Sensing Identification of Possible Meteorite Impact Crater on Ciletuh, West Java

Abstract

Ciletuh is a geopark area in West Java that has a semicircle-shaped cliff called mega-amphitheater. Morphogenesis of the amphitheater is still unknown. One possible cause is a meteorite impact that triggered a mega slump. This study aims to collect the evidence of meteorite impact. It has significant value for the geology of Indonesia since this region not yet has confirmed impact crater. In this research, image analysis from satellite remote sensing is used for identification of meteorite impact geomorphology. An analysis based on DEM unveils a ring morphology, a possible clue of an impact crater. The depression zone surrounded by a circular shape with an uplift area in the middle resembles characteristics of the complex impact crater. Meandering Ciletuh river indicates a compression due to a slump towards the southwest. Reconstruction of possible position toward the northeast (before slump deformation occurred) shows a clearer possible meteorite impact crater. A ground checking of identified structure proves that a bowl-shaped morphology found at the possible impact crater. Some steep dip structures have found, these might be due to an impact that causes the orientation of the structure to be upright. A stone that resembles the shatter-cone is found in the melange area. The melange is believed as a product of a sea trench million years ago. By using meteorite impact theory, it is also possible that the melange is a kind of impact breccia. This feature adds uniqueness to Ciletuh as a geopark.