At 2.2 Billion Years Old, This is the Oldest Impact Crater on Earth

Key Takeaways:

1. Scientists identify Earth’s oldest meteor crater, dating back 2.2 billion years, in Western Australia.
2. Despite erosion, the impact site, Yarrabubba, reveals rocks formed by the cataclysmic event.
3. The impact ended a global ice age, a pivotal period in Earth’s history, by releasing massive amounts of water vapor.
4. The Yarrabubba meteor’s influence on climate mirrors other significant meteor strikes in Earth’s history.
5. The study underscores how unique geological conditions can intensify a meteor’s impact on Earth’s climate.

In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have unveiled Earth’s oldest known meteor crater, shedding light on a climatic shift of monumental proportions. Nestled in the Western Australian outback, the Yarrabubba site stands as a testament to a cosmic event that transpired 2.2 billion years ago, leaving a colossal 43-mile-wide crater. Despite the erosion and geological transformations that have occurred since, the rocks formed by this cataclysmic impact remain, with Barlangi Rock, a prominent feature, comprising entirely of such meteorite-induced formations.

Lead researcher Timmons Erickson of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, who spearheaded the study, embarked on a 2014 expedition to Yarrabubba, amassing over 200 pounds of rocks for analysis. The team employed a novel technique involving electrical energy to date the rocks, revealing their astonishing age – 2.229 billion years, give or take 5 million years. This places Yarrabubba firmly ahead of any other known impact site on Earth.

What sets Yarrabubba apart isn’t just its age; it’s the epoch in which it occurred. The impact coincided with the tail end of a glacial age aptly termed a “snowball Earth.” The simulation of a meteor striking an ice sheet conducted by Erickson’s team illuminated the potential magnitude of such an event. It could have released an astounding 100 billion tons of water vapor into the upper atmosphere, fundamentally altering Earth’s climate dynamics.

This infusion of water vapor acted as a potent greenhouse gas, surpassing even carbon dioxide in its efficacy. It led to an atmospheric shift, trapping more heat and precipitating the end of the ice age. Erickson notes, “Water is a very efficient greenhouse gas, much more so than carbon dioxide.” This revelation not only redefines our understanding of ancient meteor impacts but also highlights the critical role they played in shaping Earth’s climate across millennia.

The Yarrabubba discovery joins the ranks of other pivotal meteor impacts in Earth’s history. The Chicxulub impact 66 million years ago, which led to the demise of the dinosaurs, serves as a stark example. It triggered wildfires, tsunamis, and released copious amounts of sulfur, altering the climate drastically. The study emphasizes that the impact’s effect on Earth’s climate hinges on specific geological circumstances, such as the presence of salt and gypsum deposits, underlining the uniqueness of each event.

In essence, the Yarrabubba finding underscores how extraterrestrial encounters have fundamentally shaped Earth’s climatic evolution. It stands as a testament to the profound interplay between cosmic events and our planet’s geological and climatic history, offering a rare glimpse into a pivotal chapter in Earth’s ancient past.