38th parallel lineament

I have greatly enjoyed reading roadside geology of missouri by charles g. spencer. spencer assumes no prior knowledge of geology and does a good job introducing a base layer of terms to build on. the layout of the book is composed largely around highway corridors, and what sort of geology is visible in roadcuts or other publicly accessible lands. said layout makes for enjoyable random-access readings. they function like non-fiction day trips across various parts of the state.

which brings me to the 38th parallel lineament. I started by looking up “lineament”, which is a name for a distinguishing or characteristic feature. in this case, a series of “circular depressions or deformations”. the term “cryptoexplosions” is thrown around. the name is way more exciting than the reality.

it seems as though many of these features are best explained by different causes, from meteor impacts to volcanic activity. the 38th parallel lineament is likely an example of pareidolia.