The oldest known crater impact meteorite to Earthdating 3.5 billion years ago, was identified by researchers Curtin University to Australia. The findings are presented in publication in the magazine Nature Communications.

The research team investigated rocks at the site «North pole dome“, An area of ​​great geological interest in western Australia. It identified elements of a large meteorite impact of 3.5 billion years ago.

Prior to this discovery, the oldest impact crater found was 2.2 billion years old. Study’s co -head, Professor Tim Johnson, of Curtin University, notes that the discovery significantly disputes previous cases about the ancient history of our planet.

The researchers discovered the crater thanks to the characteristic rocks formations created only under the severe pressure of a meteor impact. In this case, it is estimated that the meteorite fell to the area at a speed of over 36,000 kilometers per hour. The crater created was over 100 kilometers wide.

Professor of the same university, Chris Kirkland, one of the authors of the study, says the discovery sheds new light on how the meteors shaped the early environment of the Earth. “The revelation of this impact and finding more than the same period could explain a lot about how life could begin, as the impact craters created environments friendly to microbial life, such as warm sources,” he explains. It also continues, “radically revises our understanding of the formation of the bark: the huge amount of energy from this impact could have played a role in shaping the early crust of the Earth, pushing part of the earth’s crust under another or forcing its magma to rise to it.”