Earth’s oldest crater really is over 3 billion years old, new study confirms
A new study provides 'smoking gun' evidence confirming an asteroid crater in Australia as the oldest known impact site on Earth.
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The brief
Scientists have confirmed that an asteroid impact crater located in the Pilbara region is over 3 billion years old. The new study provides what researchers describe as 'unequivocal evidence' regarding the site's age.
Coverage from The Guardian, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and The Conversation emphasizes the discovery of 'smoking gun' evidence. Phys.org and Live Science also report on the dating, though Live Science notes the age is different by half a billion years from previous estimates.
Future focus remains on the study's confirmation of the crater as the world's oldest known meteorite strike.
Synthesized by Newsylist from the headlines below under a strict no-invention contract. ✓ fact-checked: all claims supported by sources Updated 1h ago.
Quick answers
Where is the crater located?
The impact crater is located in the Pilbara region of Australia.
How old is the crater?
The crater is dated to over 3 billion years old.
What caused the crater?
The crater was formed by an asteroid or meteorite strike.
Coverage (5)
- 'Unequivocal evidence' of the age of Earth's oldest impact crater turns out to be off by half a billion years Live Science · 13h ago
- Oldest known asteroid impact on Earth dated to 3 billion years Phys.org · 13h ago
- Asteroid crater in Pilbara confirmed again as world's oldest Australian Broadcasting Corporation · 13h ago
- Scientists in Australia find ‘smoking gun’ evidence of world’s oldest meteorite strike The Guardian · 13h ago
- Earth’s oldest crater really is over 3 billion years old, new study confirms The Conversation · 13h ago broke it first
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