Rock Elm Disturbance

The Rock Elm Disturbance is an impact crater in Pierce County, Wisconsin, United States, roughly 40 kilometres (25 mi) southwest of Menomonie.

[3] It may be one of several Middle Ordovician meteors that fell roughly simultaneously 469 million years ago, part of a proposed Ordovician meteor event within the continental United States that includes the Decorah crater in Iowa, the Slate Islands crater in Lake Superior, and the Ames crater in Oklahoma.

[4] A raised area at the center of the crater 0.8 km (0.5 mi) wide by 2.4 km (1.5 mi) long suggests that the impact caused a major upheaval of lower-lying rock— breccia and Mount Simon Sandstone, which lies beneath the surface and is much older than the rock layers in the area surrounding it.

Additionally, Blue Rock, an exposed portion of faulted Prairie du Chien sandstone lies at the south of the crater's edge, which can be viewed at Nugget Lake County Park.

While studying the effects of erosion on areas of meteorite impact, researchers from the University of Puerto Rico discovered a rare high-pressure mineral, reidite, at the center of the Rock Elm impact site.

Rock Elm Disturbance as mapped by William S. Cordua in 1987. Outer line is extent of crater and inner line is central uplift. [ 2 ]
Rock Elm Disturbance
Looking southwest from above the town of Rock Elm towards the central uplift area of the crater.
Blue Rock, a faulted portion of Prairie du Chien sandstone, is visible from the Underlook Trail at Nugget Lake County Park. Note that this sedimentary rock typically demonstrates horizontal stratification.
Panoramic context of Blue Rock faulted portion of Prairie du Chien sandstone.
The disturbance area as seen from County Highway HH and County Road CC near Plum City, Wisconsin