Scientists have discovered the oldest meteorite impact crater on Earth. The crater is located in Western Australia and dates back about 3.5 billion years, during a time when large meteorite impacts with Earth were quite common.
The discovery was made by geologists at Curtin University and the Geological Survey of Western Australia in the Pilbara region of northwestern Australia, according to New Atlas. Although the crater’s shape is not clearly visible due to its age, the team was able to identify it thanks to other geological evidence, namely “shatter cones” – geological features that can only form when there is extreme pressure, such as a meteorite impact or an underground nuclear explosion.
The crater is estimated to be at least 100 km in diameter, suggesting that the meteorite hit Earth at a speed of over 36,000 km/h and caused a global catastrophe. The impact is believed to have occurred about 3.47 billion years ago.
“Before we discovered this crater, the oldest known crater was only 2.2 billion years old,” said Professor Tim Johnson, co-lead author of the study. “So this is the oldest known crater on Earth.”
The previous record holder was Yarrabubba, located about 800 km south of the new crater. Interestingly, this latest crater dates back to a very turbulent time in Earth's history.
During the first two billion years of Earth's formation, our planet was bombarded by giant asteroids, including a massive collision with a Mars-sized body that created the Moon about 4.5 billion years ago. However, very few craters from that period survive today, as plate tectonics, erosion and other phenomena have erased the traces.
Meanwhile, the Moon still bears many scars from this period because its surface was less volatile.
“We know that large impacts were common in the early solar system, as we can see from the Moon. However, the lack of ancient craters on Earth has meant that they have been overlooked by geologists. This study provides an important piece of the puzzle in the history of Earth’s impacts, and it is likely that many more ancient craters will be discovered in the future,” Johnson said.
Researchers also suggest that such powerful collisions could have had a major impact on the planet, influencing Earth's development in ways that are still evident today.
Professor Chris Kirkland, co-lead author of the study, said the enormous amount of energy from these collisions may have helped shape the early Earth's crust, by pushing parts of the crust downwards or forcing magma from the Earth's deep mantle to the surface.
“It may have played a key role in the formation of cratons – large, stable land masses that form the basis of today's continents,” he said.
According to Tin Tuc Newspaper
Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/cong-nghe/phat-hien-ho-va-cham-thien-thach-lau-doi-nhat-trai-dat/20250310064846265
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