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.
📍 Where it landed
The North Pole Dome Crater in Australia was confirmed as Earth's oldest known asteroid impact structure. Some reports stated the impact was precisely dated to 3 billion years, while other coverage noted the evidence was off by half a billion years.
Epilogue added 32d ago, after coverage quieted.
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 45d 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.
The reporting (8)
- Australia’s North Pole Dome Crater is Earth’s Oldest and Only Known Archean Impact Structure Sci.News · 44d ago
- Oldest Known Asteroid Impact on Earth Precisely Dated to 3 Billion Years AZoMining · 44d ago
- 'Unequivocal evidence' of Earth's oldest impact crater turns out to be off by half a billion years Yahoo · 44d ago
- 'Unequivocal evidence' of the age of Earth's oldest impact crater turns out to be off by half a billion years Live Science · 45d ago
- Oldest known asteroid impact on Earth dated to 3 billion years Phys.org · 45d ago
- Asteroid crater in Pilbara confirmed again as world's oldest Australian Broadcasting Corporation · 45d ago
- Scientists in Australia find ‘smoking gun’ evidence of world’s oldest meteorite strike The Guardian · 45d ago
- Earth’s oldest crater really is over 3 billion years old, new study confirms The Conversation · 45d ago broke it first
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