Oldest Known Meteorite Impact Crater Discovered in Australia's Pilbara Region

The 3.47-billion-year-old crater offers new insights into Earth's early geological history and the formation of its first continents.

Geologists from Curtin University identified the 3.47-billion-year-old crater near Marble Bar in Western Australia's Pilbara region, naming it the North Pole Crater.
The discovery surpasses the previously oldest known crater, Yarrabubba, by over a billion years and provides significant evidence of ancient meteorite impacts on Earth.
Shatter cones, a unique geological feature formed only by meteorite impacts, were found at the site, confirming its origin as an impact crater.
The crater's formation may have played a role in the creation of early continental crust and could provide clues about the emergence of life on Earth.
Further studies are planned to analyze the site's geological features, including mapping shatter cones and investigating the impact's broader implications for Earth's early evolution.