Hapcheon County Holds Field Briefing on Meteorite Impact Crater Geological Evidence Drilling Survey

Securing Various Evidence of the Hapcheon Meteorite Impact Crater
Through Drilling Survey

Hapcheon County in South Gyeongsang Province announced on the 27th that a field briefing was held for the geological evidence drilling survey of the Hapcheon meteorite impact crater, hosted by the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, in the Busu-ri area of Jeokjung-myeon.

At the field briefing, Dr. Lim Jae-Soo of the Space Resource Development Center at the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources explained to local residents the purpose, methods, and main contents of the drilling survey, as well as the formation process of the meteorite impact crater. Residents were able to directly observe the drilling process on site, thereby deepening their understanding of the meteorite impact crater.

Group photo at the field briefing of the geological evidence drilling survey of the Haecheon meteorite impact crater.

Dr. Lim Jae-Soo was the first in Korea to discover "shocked cone rock," the most decisive evidence of a meteorite impact crater, in 2020, and revealed that the areas of Chogye-myeon and Jeokjung-myeon were formed as a meteorite impact crater about 50,000 years ago.

This survey is part of the "Hapcheon Meteorite Impact Crater Geological Evidence and Exhibition Resource Securing Service" currently being promoted by the county, and will be conducted at key locations in the Chogye-myeon and Jeokjung-myeon areas until June 13. The goal of the survey is to collect additional core geological data from the Hapcheon meteorite impact crater and to secure distinctive, large-scale geological evidence that can be used for education and exhibition resources. These will be utilized as major exhibition resources at the Hapcheon Meteorite Impact Crater Center, which is scheduled for completion in the future.

Kim Yooncheol, the county governor, stated, "Hapcheon is the only region in Korea with a meteorite impact crater. We will utilize the results of this drilling survey as content for geological education and exhibitions, and develop Hapcheon into a geological tourism destination that everyone will want to visit."