Particle.news
Download on the App Store
3 ARTICLES
·
4d ago

Pilbara’s Miralga Crater Found Younger and Smaller Than Initially Estimated

Revised age of 2.7 billion to 400 million years rules out the crater’s proposed impact on early crust formation.

Image
Image
Scientists Just Debunked 'Earth's Oldest Impact Crater'

Overview

  • Shatter cones discovered in the rust-coloured basalts at North Pole Dome verified that the Miralga site was formed by a meteorite impact.
  • Orientation mapping of hundreds of shatter cones recalibrated the crater’s diameter to about 16 km, down from earlier estimates of over 100 km.
  • Field observations found shatter cones only in rocks dating to 3.47 Ga and 2.77 Ga, constraining the impact to between 2.7 billion and 400 million years ago.
  • Researchers are pursuing isotopic analyses to pinpoint the crater’s precise age within the broad stratigraphic window.
  • Designated the Miralga impact structure to honor the Nyamal people, the site offers a rare example of a basalt-hosted crater relevant to Earth and Mars studies.