shatter cone

English

Alternative forms

• shattercone

Noun

shatter cone (plural shatter cones)

A well-developed shatter cone from the Steinheim impact crater in Germany.

1. (geology) A type of geologic feature consisting of a branching network of multiple stacked conical or spoon-shaped striated fractures produced by high-intensity shock waves, with the apex of the cones pointing back towards the point of origin of the shock waves; only known to be produced by hypervelocity meteorite impacts or underground nuclear explosions.