Scientists Find Meteor Crater Formed 100,000 Years Ago

A recent study released in the journal Meteoritics & Planetary Science revealed that a crater believed to have been formed by a meteor in northeast China, had an alien provenance. With a diameter of 1.85 kilometers and a depth of more than 300 meters, it is the greatest hit on the planet in the previous 100,000 years, according to NASA.

There is a large chunk missing from the crater’s southern third, but the other parts are well maintained, with a maximum height of 150 meters above the present-day crater floor. Scientists had speculated for some time that the half-moon-shaped hill in the thickly wooded region of the Xing’an peaks was a crater rim, but it wasn’t until a drillcore from the heart of the formation that they discovered clear geological proof of an impact’s formation.

There are 110 meters of sedimentary sequence that was formed in a lake and subsequently marsh and is interbedded by 319 meters of brecciated granite. The pit fill is made up of sediments that were produced in lakes and swamps and then dumped in the crater. The experts believe that a severe impact caused the bedrock to be fractured into bits. The presence of dissolved and recrystallized granite gravels indicates that the rock was rapidly heated to above 1,200 degrees and then cooled in situ, which is compatible with a meteor effect.

The crew also discovered teardrop-shaped glass shards as well as bits of glass perforated with microscopic holes created by gas bubbles; both of these traits suggest that a great impact occurred at the site, which supports the findings. Yilan Crater, who got his name from the nearby town, is thought to have been created between 47,000 and 53,000 years back, relying on radiocarbon timeframes acquired from organic debris as well as soot discovered in sediment tiers concealing the fractured granite bedrock.

The crater’s formation is approximated to have occurred between 47,000 and 53,000 years ago. Given this little age, it is extremely conceivable that people inhabiting Siberia and Asia at the time of the collision of the 100-meter-wide meteorite were there to experience the event.