A meteor crashes in a very geologically unstable region of an earth-like planet.
A few years later, a person visiting that site will find the following features:
- A concave depression, of a circular (or nearly circular) shape, with at least 1 Km of diameter, with an elevated rim all around it.
- A mountain located within the depression and towering above the rims. The mountain does not need to be very high, but it needs to be high enough to be considered a mountain. It can be located at the center of the depression or at its edge or anywhere in between those two points.
My question is: could this geological arrangement be achieved? I have searched online and have not found any examples, but I also know this scenario is very specific.
By mulling on this, I have reached two possible explanations that could yield this result:
Explanation 1): The meteor creates a huge impact crater, and then proceeds to trigger a volcanic eruption which creates a new mountain.
Explanation 2): A meteor hits the vicinity (or even the mouth) of an already unstable super-volcano. This meteor is not big enough to raze the mountain, but the force of the impact is enough to trigger a massive volcanic eruption. This eruption empties the magma chamber very quickly, causing the partial collapse of the volcano, forming a caldera around it, whereas the peak of the volcano still remains and forms the mountain.
Is any of these explanations plausible, at least in theory? Or is there another explanation that could produce the desired effect (as long as it involves an eruption following a meteor impact)?