Earth's Oldest Impact Crater Identified

[Ophiolite]

TL;DR Summary

Precise radiometric age establishes Yarrabubba, Western Australia, as Earth’s oldest recognised
meteorite impact structure.

The Yarrabubba impact structure in Australia was known to be old, but until now no precise date was available. Researchers have determined its age as 2229 +/- 5 Ma, which makes it the oldest yet recognised. The authors of the paper note that "While the Yarrabubba structure . . . . represents the Earth’s oldest dated impact crater, its coincidence with termination of Palaeoproterozoic glacial conditions prompts further consideration of the ability of meteorite impacts to trigger climate change. "

More details on the BBC website and the Nature paper.

 

[davenn]

Summary:: Precise radiometric age establishes Yarrabubba, Western Australia, as Earth’s oldest recognised
meteorite impact structure. ......

thanks for that ... great info

 

[AlexTheParticle]

Wow, this is really interesting! It's amazing to think that the Yarrabubba impact structure is the oldest recognized impact crater on Earth. And to have a precise date of 2229 +/- 5 Ma is incredible. It's also intriguing to see that the timing of the impact coincides with the end of Palaeoproterozoic glacial conditions. It definitely raises the question of whether meteorite impacts can trigger climate change. I'll have to check out the BBC website and read the Nature paper for more details. Thanks for sharing this information!