The world’s oldest impact crater could be in our backyard

1 week ago

In nan beginning, Earth was a convulsive spot pinch nary ambiance to soften nan blow.

About 66 cardinal years ago, an asteroid slammed into what is now Mexico, forming nan Chicxulub crater.

This effect wiped retired nan dinosaurs and astir 75% of each species connected Earth astatine nan time.

But different crater, located successful Australia, is acold older. Billions of years older.

According to research from Curtin University, this tract could beryllium nan oldest meteorite effect crater ever discovered connected Earth.

How aged is nan oldest meteorite effect crater connected nan planet? 3.5 cardinal years old.

And it’s correct present successful WA, heavy successful nan Pilbara.

MADE IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Scientists examined rocks astatine North Pole Dome, 40 kilometres westbound of Marble Bar.

The area is location to immoderate of Earth’s earliest preserved crust.

The squad recovered signs of daze textures and microscopic patterns successful nan stone caused by aggravated power and pressure.

The benignant only a monolithic cosmic effect could create.

“Before our discovery, nan oldest effect crater was 2.2 cardinal years old, truthful this is by acold nan oldest known crater ever recovered connected Earth,” says Professor Tim Johnson.

HIT ME SPACE ROCK, ONE MORE TIME

Shatter cones, unique stone formations that only shape nether nan utmost unit of a meteorite strike, revealed what happened.

A meteor deed nan region astatine much than 36,000 kilometres per hour, creating a crater much than 100 kilometres wide and launching debris crossed nan world.

The effect reshaped nan landscape, and perchance nan planet.

This find intends Earth was pummelled by meteorites acold earlier than antecedently thought.

This has awesome implications for nan root of life, ambiance statement and early sheet tectonics.

ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE

It’s not each time Western Australia rewrites Earth’s history. But not everyone sees it nan aforesaid way.

In July 2025, a squad of geologists from Harvard published caller research suggesting nan effect mightiness person been smaller and much caller than first thought.

Their fieldwork and study estimates nan onslaught happened astir 2.7 cardinal years agone and near down a crater astir 16 kilometres wide.

So who’s right?

SCIENCE IN THE MAKING

Two different answers isn’t a nonaccomplishment aliases a controversy. It’s subject moving arsenic it should.

Disagreement is portion of nan process. Researchers are expected to mobility each other’s findings, build connected them and trial them again.

It’s not astir who says it, but whether nan grounds holds up. The system of science is built to evolve, overmuch for illustration nan communicative of our planet.

THE STORY OF US

After all, nan Chicxulub crater was only confirmed arsenic nan root of nan dinosaur wide extinction successful 1991. The thought – erstwhile arguable – is now wide accepted by nan technological community.

Whether this meteorite effect occurred 3.5 cardinal years agone aliases acold much recently, 1 point is clear: we are still piecing together nan communicative of our planet.

Every caller discovery, disagreement aliases chat takes america 1 measurement closer.

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