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A newly discovered impact crater in Western Australia’s Pilbara region could hold vital clues about Earth’s early history.
Scientists from Curtin University and the Geological Survey of Western Australia believe the North Pole Dome site is the oldest impact crater ever found, dating back an astonishing 3.5 billion years.
The site, a barren landscape of red rock with little vegetation, was once struck by a massive meteorite travelling at over 22,000 miles per hour.
According to a study published in Nature Communications, the impact was so powerful that it sent debris flying across the planet.
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Study co-lead Professor Tim Johnson explained, in the original story reported by Curtin University, that Earth’s early history was shaped by violent collisions, much like what we see on the moon today.
Johnson said: "Until now, the absence of any truly ancient craters means they are largely ignored by geologists".
"This study provides a crucial piece of the puzzle of Earth’s impact history and suggests there may be many other ancient craters that could be discovered over time", he explained further.
To confirm the impact, researchers examined "shatter cones" — unique rock formations only created when a meteorite slams into the Earth with immense force. These formations provide definitive evidence of the catastrophic event that shaped the region billions of years ago.
Professor Chris Kirkland, another lead on the study, believes discoveries like this could offer insight into how life on Earth first emerged.
Kirkland said: "Uncovering this impact and finding more from the same time period could explain a lot about how life may have got started".
He added that meteor impacts may have created environments ideal for microbial life, such as hot water pools, which could have played a crucial role in the planet’s early biological development.
The discovery also reshapes scientists’ understanding of how Earth’s crust was formed. Kirkland suggested the impact may have triggered geological processes that helped shape the first stable landmasses, known as cratons.
Kirkland explained: "It also radically refines our understanding of crust formation: the tremendous amount of energy from this impact could have played a role in shaping early Earth’s crust by pushing one part of the Earth’s crust under another, or by forcing magma to rise from deep within the Earth’s mantle toward the surface,"
"It may have even contributed to the formation of cratons, which are large, stable landmasses that became the foundation of continents", he added.
Before this discovery, the oldest known impact crater was the 2.2-billion-year-old Yarrabubba structure, also in Western Australia.
This new finding pushes back the record by more than a billion years, offering a fresh perspective on Earth's turbulent past. Scientists now hope that further research will uncover even more ancient craters that could unlock more secrets about the planet's early days.
