engineering

Weaubleau structure

Weaubleau structure is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Weaubleau structure rather than just read about it. In short: The Weaubleau structure is a probable meteorite impact site in western Missouri near the towns of Gerster, Iconium, Osceola, and Vista. It is believed to have been caused by a 1,200-foot (370 m) meteoroid between 335 and 340 million years ago during the middle Mississippian Period (Latest Osagean to Earliest Meramecian).

Key takeaways

Weaubleau structure belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Weaubleau structure to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Weaubleau structure from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Weaubleau structure is a probable meteorite impact site in western Missouri near the towns of Gerster, Iconium, Osceola, and Vista. It is believed to have been caused by a 1,200-foot (370 m) meteoroid between 335 and 340 million years ago during the middle Mississippian Period (Latest Osagean to Earliest Meramecian). It is listed by the Impact Field Studies Group as a "probable" impact structure. The structure consists of an area of severe structural deformation and extensive brecciation that was poorly understood and had been thought to be the result of either thrusting over a dome or a cryptoexplosive event. A 12-mile (19 km) circular structure was discovered by geologist Kevin R. Evans through examination of digital elevation data. The structure was originally called the Weaubleau-Osceola structure after Weaubleau Creek and Osceola. It is now known as the Weaubleau structure. Because the site was covered by later Pennsylvanian Period sediments, and only partially exposed to erosion relatively recently, its structure is well preserved, and its age can be determined with fair accuracy. It is one of a series of known or suspected impact sites along the 38th parallel in the states of Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas. These 38th parallel structures are thought to possibly be the result of a serial impact, similar to that of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 on Jupiter, an extremely unlikely event on Earth. The argument for a serial strike would be greatly strengthened if the ages of the other 38th parallel structures could be constrained to the same period as the Weaubleau structure. The Weaubleau structure is one of the fifty largest known impact structures on earth and the fourth largest in the United States. The three larger ones in the US either have been glaciated and buried (Manson crater), are under water (Chesapeake Bay crater), or have been subjected to orogeny (Beaverhead impact structure). Therefore, the Weaubleau structure is the largest exposed untectonized impact structure in the US.

Round rocks

Long thought to be a glacial remnant, these conglomerate rocks are found in the area of the Weaubleau structure. They are nearly perfectly round, and are referred to locally simply as "geodes", "round rocks", "Missouri rock balls", or "Weaubleau eggs". It has been suggested that the round rocks are chert concretions or nodules. The round rocks may have formed when the impact threw shale clasts of the Northview Formation away from the center of the impact structure and subsequent silica-saturated waters precipitated silica around the shale clasts. The formation of the round rocks is poorly understood and requires further research.

See also 38th parallel structures List of possible impact structures on Earth OzarksWatch Video Magazine: Discovering Missouri's Ancient Meteor Impacts

References

Further reading Evans, K. R., Rovey, C. W., II, Mickus, K. L., Miller, J. F., Plymate, T., and Thomson, K. C. 2003. Weaubleau-Osceola structure, Missouri: deformation, event stratification, and shock metamorphism of a mid-Carboniferous impact site. Third International Conference on Large Meteorite Impacts, Nördlingen, Germany, August 5–7, 2003. Extended abstract from conference proceedings available online. PDF Evans, Kevin R.; Mickus, Kevin L.; Fagerlin, Stanley; Luczaj, John; Mantei, Erwin; Miller, James F.; Moeglin, Thomas; Pavlowsky, Robert T.; & Thomson, Kenneth C. 2004. Oblique Impact at Weaubleau-Osceola Structure, Missouri. Abstract online [1] Space Today Online. The Planet Earth Today: Meteorite vs. Meteor, Meteoroid and Micrometeoroid. Retrieved November 27, 2004.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Weaubleau structure

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Weaubleau structure claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Weaubleau structure before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Weaubleau structure ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Weaubleau structure

In research: Weaubleau structure appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Weaubleau structure in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Weaubleau structure is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Carboniferous impact craters, Geology of Missouri, Impact craters of the United States, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Weaubleau structure outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Weaubleau structure in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Weaubleau structure means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Weaubleau structure out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Weaubleau structure in simple terms?

Why does Weaubleau structure matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Weaubleau structure?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Weaubleau structure.