# Earth’s oldest crater really is over 3 billion years old, new study confirms

> **Newsylist Open Intelligence Dossier** · First detected: 2026-06-24 07:20 UTC · Category: Science · Sources: 8 · Current Velocity: 5.66

## Executive Summary
A new study provides 'smoking gun' evidence confirming an asteroid crater in Australia as the oldest known impact site on Earth.

## Intelligence 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.

## Verified Facts & Key Claims
### 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.

## Key People, Organizations & Locations
Scientists, Earth, Australia, ASTEROID, Oldest, Unequivocal, Pilbara

## Multi-Source Evidence Table
| Source Outlet | Headline | Published (UTC) | Verification URL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sci.News | Australia’s North Pole Dome Crater is Earth’s Oldest and Only Known Archean Impact Structure | 2026-06-25 10:00 | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMib0FVX3lxTE1NeU0xeFo4V3BGUTJSNHpHY3A5NXNjSTBHQlNYR0ROWTBZY2VwN3hBUVFlUUg3M1pUNnhVbVBaeHY3UWpSQ3pXYkNSUzJqWUthR0pXOVh0bG1tUExzdHJ0dnU3czZFMmlHSVNEbHNvTQ?oc=5) |
| AZoMining | Oldest Known Asteroid Impact on Earth Precisely Dated to 3 Billion Years | 2026-06-25 10:00 | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiXEFVX3lxTE5KNFozeDF0ZllsRGJmMGI3RTZFc0tMenAwYmlSVXlVX3BxSU9KRm9fQWhxTHhDMVBSbGFFak9LZTFfYXQxczQ5Wl84RVZzTUR1T1FfcnFHNmdEcUU3?oc=5) |
| Yahoo | 'Unequivocal evidence' of Earth's oldest impact crater turns out to be off by half a billion years | 2026-06-25 10:00 | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMingFBVV95cUxPMUlxbHpfV1VzdldLN3ROTHRZRHJyYjBtTmVBbVIwb3lKTzVpNnV6UWkwdXAzWTM1TkV1TjhWRXkzczhfUmlmcTVTS1ZMcXNtTEpBczM3T2RFeFNjdDB0VDhxTUdLbTdtSU82WVo2ZUJZUjlEZjJmZVhoaVJCV0JYU2UwT2hzNk5vYVVMTkxTeTl2NzZXcGxYWXV6WVBSQQ?oc=5) |
| Live Science | 'Unequivocal evidence' of the age of Earth's oldest impact crater turns out to be off by half a billion years | 2026-06-23 22:02 | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMi6wFBVV95cUxNbmVYS1A5VlhySWNXWUhVU1M3ZXpqeUtfdWtlczJSdWFVVW9RUl9uYWJoMWg4d19EaWl3blBuVFJ3WEF1ZUdYVWRhWGtkNXNFRldkQjdzTUZSb2tIbnVyb3ZnY1h1MUFPdTZTLXFlc09qSm1LMkNmaElhSktDd2J5cmpKbnlpcWszX2IzYXM4RXlPemk4UVZBbzNtRkVmMUtuWGk5dTZnZ2NsdW84Tkx2YTBaMGxocXlselA3aW15cnRIU0VXZHE3YkpwYmM3UXlsYWJWWGdjaTdIX3Y2bi1UcEFWVmJHdENYRHZJ?oc=5) |
| Phys.org | Oldest known asteroid impact on Earth dated to 3 billion years | 2026-06-23 22:02 | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMieEFVX3lxTE1vN0QzdVRZd0RITDY0b2NVZV9DVUc5YWNpV2ZnSlI3UndjdVoxVEtoNmJ3aThWTTZoay1QWkFIQ3dQQmJxV2xUNmxxN2ZoQVRaSTdfTWpRTHo2ZTh0MjRQVXlESVVWdUhNSE8xVE80RzRlQ0JkMGZuaw?oc=5) |
| Australian Broadcasting Corporation | Asteroid crater in Pilbara confirmed again as world's oldest | 2026-06-23 22:02 | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMinAFBVV95cUxOWlB1TlNRcGlCc25UOVJSUFNMb19KQTVPczV4eHBnNTdWYTJoaW5CaWtiYWF0a3VuQkxsYmlZQXFBRVNObU1ETHo1a1dmZFFzSENFbGlsODlQYjYzWnNqbjRFWDQtTkRZRzdEdVdlZ2lnaEZFNVJPY3VXU1gwY1N1TFRDNnl1SUh1eUhOQ1JBem9EV3puemxlR3ZhTW4?oc=5) |
| The Guardian | Scientists in Australia find ‘smoking gun’ evidence of world’s oldest meteorite strike | 2026-06-23 22:02 | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMirAFBVV95cUxPUlFTWEphdUNGRHl4TWZlSUsxTGFYSDRYMXlTd3Z5V09tOVBvRlcxU2FIWEdURy15Ti1URnBudXE5UVVRd0puR1dGVmFKV080WFRuS1RhdDdLSkdSWU9nNk1fT2JRNWJZUloyR3pkRHoyU2dtcHNzXzNUUzBHcFF0U0Z3NHdYdXBxYWMtTmZXY3ZEcTdySGozeUNQQWJ0VVVicFNjOUNqbmpZWW9X?oc=5) |
| The Conversation | Earth’s oldest crater really is over 3 billion years old, new study confirms | 2026-06-23 22:02 | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMirgFBVV95cUxQTVV2SWc4UnExVloteUhDWk1Eb3ViNTV4SktWUlJMQWdYcWlkYy1ONmt2blVRUV9lRkxaVmU4elFMVDhXYl9ac2FlaE1IdjduZ3RvWmloT3VsMUczMEpWdXdyaUp5Smt4djk0UTFKZmtvQVRnRGs1SEhacFpIVTRPU0NJY3RKN2djVzA1Uk5ZZzBTWXhqVU1qRWtiV1VyVm9OTjZuRkJUX096TEhxV1E?oc=5) |

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