Earth's Oldest Impact Crater May Be Far Younger Than Thought
In March 2025, researchers from the Curtins School of Earth and Planetary Sciences and the Geological Survey of Western Australia announced the discovery of Earth's oldest impact crater, located in the very heart of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Based on their field investigations, the crater formed about 3.5 billion years ago, making it the oldest known by more than a billion years — the previous record holder being the Vredefort structure in South Africa.
However, a new study challenges the initial findings by reassessing the age of the impact crater.
As study authors Aaron J. Cavosie, Professor for Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, and Alec R. Brenner, Postdoc at Yale University, write for the online magazine The Conversation, they discovered geological evidence suggesting the impact happened almost one billion years later than previously thought.
Both studies mapped the distribution of shatter cones, cone-shaped branching structures forming at the moment of impact, when shock waves shatter the bedrock.
Example of shatter cones preserved in limestone.
The first study discovered shatter cones in 3.47 billion year-old sediment layers, deducing that the impact happened over 3 billion years ago. However, a more recent field survey discovered shatter cones also in lava covering the sediment layers, and therefore of younger age.
The impact had to occur after the formation of the youngest rocks that contained shatter cones, meaning sometime after the 2.77-billion-year-old lavas.
The authors of the new study also propose to name the crater 'Miralga impact structure," after the Aboriginal name of the region.
The study," Geology and Mars analog potential of the <2.7-billion-year-old Miralga impact structure, North Pole Dome, Pilbara Craton, Australia," was published in the journal Science Advances.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Photographer's warning after encounter with rarely seen Australian animal
Under a cloud of mist, vigorous ripples appear on the surface of the water. The animal lingering underneath the surface is one few Australians have seen in the wild – a platypus. For over a decade, Neil Andison has been photographing them at a creek in Maleny, a quiet town inland from Queensland's bustling Sunshine Coast. 'It started with a surprise sighting and that was it, I was hooked. It was like what some might call a platypus epiphany,' he said. Andison films platypuses almost every day. He has seen up to 11 in a single sitting, and feels lucky that they're flourishing near his home. But looking more widely across their native range along the east coast of Australia, their numbers are declining. In Victoria, the species is listed as vulnerable to extinction, and in NSW it's near threatened. The biggest threat to the survival of the platypus is humans, who destroy crucial habitat, pollute creeks, build dams, and contribute to climate change, which makes droughts and bushfires more frequent and severe. Related: Photographer captures 'incredibly rare' moment between platypus and snake Because platypus populations are sparse, they are vulnerable to localised extinction. That's why in Victoria, NSW, ACT, South Australia and Tasmania, state governments have restricted the use of Opera House nets, a type of yabbie trap known to frequently kill platypus. Platypuses need to breathe air to survive. They regularly dive down for one to two minutes, and can survive for up to 11 minutes under water by slowing down their heart rate. But there's no escape from an Opera House net, because they're fully enclosed and don't provide a route for escape. Platypuses often drown inside the same net after swimming inside in search of a feed of yabbies. Before the ban in Victoria, the bodies of five platypuses were found dead inside two of the traps at Labertruche Creek, east of Melbourne. And Australia's national science agency, the CSIRO, collected evidence of close to 30 dying in nets in the five years leading to the ban. While Andison is thankful there is a healthy population of platypus in Maleny, he worries about their future. That's because, despite years of lobbying from conservation groups, Queensland continues to permit their use in waterways where platypuses live. 'I've sent emails to 99 politicians about the problem, and only received automated responses,' Andison said. 'I just don't think they've got the balls to ban them. And it frustrates the living hell out of me.' Woman with 'specific skills' sets up 280 cameras in search rare animal Mass bird poisoning fears at suburban shopping centre Zoo defends $180 experience after video 'stunt' sparks concern In 2024, Fisheries Queensland released a discussion paper to explore phasing out the use of Opera House nets. It then prepared a consultation report based on the stakeholder feedback, which it said in January would be considered by the government in "due course". No regulatory changes to the use of the nets have been made. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Fox News
8 hours ago
- Fox News
Men face double dementia risk if they have a hidden genetic mutation
A hidden genetic mutation could predict a man's likelihood of developing dementia. That's according to an Australian study led by Monash and Curtin Universities, which analyzed the medical data of thousands of Australians and Americans. Men who had a certain variant in the haemochromatosis (HFE) gene — which regulates iron levels in the body — were found to be at a higher risk of dementia, the researchers found. Previously healthy men over age 70 who have two copies of the variant, which is known as H63D, are at least twice — or up to four times — as likely to develop dementia. Having just one copy did not appear to elevate the risk. One in 36 men carry two copies of the mutation; one in three have just a single copy. "It is only men who have two copies of the variant that are at risk," study co-author Professor John Olynyk from the Curtin Medical School told Fox News Digital. "Women are not affected by the abnormality – we do not know why that is at the current point in time." The study, which was published in the journal Neurology, used data from the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) trial, which gathered health and aging data for 19,114 healthy older adults. Those who have the genetic variant can't change it, but it's possible that the "brain pathways" it affects could be treated, Olynyk noted. "The HFE gene is routinely tested for in most Western countries … when assessing people for haemochromatosis, a disorder that causes the body to absorb too much iron," the doctor said. "Our findings suggest that perhaps this testing could be offered to men more broadly." Despite the fact that the HFE gene is responsible for controlling iron levels, the team found no direct link between iron and dementia risk. "Our findings suggest that perhaps this testing could be offered to men more broadly." "This points to other mechanisms at play, possibly involving the increased risk of brain injury from inflammation and cell damage in the body," Olynyk added. More research is needed to determine why the heightened risk wasn't seen in women. "Understanding why men with the double H63D variant are at higher risk could pave the way for more personalized approaches to prevention and treatment," added co-author Professor Paul Lacaze from Monash University in a press release. The main limitation of the study, according to Olynyk, was that the study population was largely composed of Australians. "Whether other populations exhibit the same effects is unclear," he told Fox News Digital. "Our work should be repeated in different countries to assess this." "Further research will be undertaken to try and determine the likely mechanism by which this anomaly causes dementia and what more we can do to reduce the impact of it." Beyond this specific mutation, many other genetic and environmental factors can contribute to dementia risk, Olynyk noted. "While genetic risk factors cannot be changed, the mechanisms by which these genetic abnormalities and environmental factors cause disease may well be modifiable to some extent, through adopting a healthy lifestyle and being proactive about maintaining an overall good state of health," he said. To reduce risk, the researchers recommend adopting a healthy lifestyle that includes exercising regularly, eating a nutritious diet, minimizing alcohol intake, remaining mentally active, and seeing a doctor to address any medical problem known to increase the likelihood of dementia. For more Health articles, visit The University of Melbourne, The Royal Children's Hospital, Murdoch Children's Research Institute and Fiona Stanley Hospital also contributed to the study.
Forbes
9 hours ago
- Forbes
Earth's Oldest Impact Crater May Be Far Younger Than Thought
A satellite image of Gosses Bluff Crater located near the center of Australia. The crater is ... More believed to have been created by an asteroid impact around 142 million years ago. In March 2025, researchers from the Curtins School of Earth and Planetary Sciences and the Geological Survey of Western Australia announced the discovery of Earth's oldest impact crater, located in the very heart of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Based on their field investigations, the crater formed about 3.5 billion years ago, making it the oldest known by more than a billion years — the previous record holder being the Vredefort structure in South Africa. However, a new study challenges the initial findings by reassessing the age of the impact crater. As study authors Aaron J. Cavosie, Professor for Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, and Alec R. Brenner, Postdoc at Yale University, write for the online magazine The Conversation, they discovered geological evidence suggesting the impact happened almost one billion years later than previously thought. Both studies mapped the distribution of shatter cones, cone-shaped branching structures forming at the moment of impact, when shock waves shatter the bedrock. Example of shatter cones preserved in limestone. The first study discovered shatter cones in 3.47 billion year-old sediment layers, deducing that the impact happened over 3 billion years ago. However, a more recent field survey discovered shatter cones also in lava covering the sediment layers, and therefore of younger age. The impact had to occur after the formation of the youngest rocks that contained shatter cones, meaning sometime after the 2.77-billion-year-old lavas. The authors of the new study also propose to name the crater 'Miralga impact structure," after the Aboriginal name of the region. The study," Geology and Mars analog potential of the <2.7-billion-year-old Miralga impact structure, North Pole Dome, Pilbara Craton, Australia," was published in the journal Science Advances.
