By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
World of SoftwareWorld of SoftwareWorld of Software
  • News
  • Software
  • Mobile
  • Computing
  • Gaming
  • Videos
  • More
    • Gadget
    • Web Stories
    • Trending
    • Press Release
Search
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Copyright © All Rights Reserved. World of Software.
Reading: What a 3.5 billion-year-old meteor crater tells us about the Earth
Share
Sign In
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
World of SoftwareWorld of Software
Font ResizerAa
  • Software
  • Mobile
  • Computing
  • Gadget
  • Gaming
  • Videos
Search
  • News
  • Software
  • Mobile
  • Computing
  • Gaming
  • Videos
  • More
    • Gadget
    • Web Stories
    • Trending
    • Press Release
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Copyright © All Rights Reserved. World of Software.
World of Software > News > What a 3.5 billion-year-old meteor crater tells us about the Earth
News

What a 3.5 billion-year-old meteor crater tells us about the Earth

News Room
Last updated: 2025/03/10 at 1:26 PM
News Room Published 10 March 2025
Share
SHARE
‘Shatter cones’ at the North Pole Dome in the centre of the Pilbara region, Australia. (Picture: Curtin University)

Scientists believe a newly-discovered crater believed to be the oldest in the world reveals a number of clues to the early days of life on Earth.

A team of researchers at Curtin University’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, along with the Geological Survey of Western Australia (GSWA) believe the North Pole Dome Site is the oldest in the world.

The area, a mass of sparse, red rock covered with little vegetation, is found in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

Experts now think a major meteorite smacked into it 3.5billion years ago, according to a study published in Nature Communications.

Another major planetary event

Study co-lead Professor Tim Johnson said scientists can look to the moon to know that ‘large impacts’ were common in the days of the early solar system.

Graph of rock materials
The composition of one of the shatter cones. (Provider: Creative Commons/Nature Communications (Nat Commun)/? State of Western Australia (Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety) 2025)

Professor Johnson, from Curtin University, said the team of experts looked at so-called ‘shatter cones’, which were formed when the space rock hit the Earth at over 22,000 miles per hour.

Looking at the shatter cones, scientists determined the strike would have been a massive planetary event, with debris sent flying across the globe.

Professor Johnson said: ‘Until now, the absence of any truly ancient craters means they are largely ignored by geologists.

‘This study provides a crucial piece of the puzzle of Earth’s impact history and suggests there may be many other ancient craters that could be discovered over time.’

‘How life got started’

Professor Chris Kirkland, co-lead on the study, said finding more sites like the one at North Pole Dome could be key for further clues about the Earth’s past.

The expert, who is also a member of the team at Curtin’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said it could even hold some answers to how life began,

He said: ‘Uncovering this impact and finding more from the same time period could explain a lot about how life may have got started.’

He explained that impact craters ‘created environments friendly to microbial life’ because of features like hot water pools.

Scientific experts have been looking into whether the Earth’s first continent was formed by meteor strikes for some time.

A hiker with backpack enjoying view, Winslow, Arizona, USA
Some craters are tourist sites, but not all of them are understood (Credits: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Professor Kirkland said the North Pole Dome site is helpful to experts in understanding how the surface of the Earth was formed.

He added: ‘It also radically refines our understanding of crust formation: the tremendous amount of energy from this impact could have played a role in shaping early Earth’s crust by pushing one part of the Earth’s crust under another, or by forcing magma to rise from deep within the Earth’s mantle toward the surface.

‘It may have even contributed to the formation of cratons, which are large, stable landmasses that became the foundation of continents’.’

Oldest ever found

Professor Johnson said: ‘Before our discovery, the oldest impact crater was 2.2billion years old, so this is by far the oldest known crater ever found on Earth.’

The previous record find was less recent by over 1billion years compared to the Yarrabubba impact structure. This area was hit by a meteorite 19 to 42 miles across around 2.2billion years ago.

Meteor Crater's large impact zone
Craters can tell us a lot about the Earth’s history (Picture: Getty Images/500px Plus)

When what is now known as the ‘Yarrabubba impact structure’ was formed by the meteor strike, the Earth was covered in ice.

The impact of this on the environment could have been significant as a crash into a large glaciers would have led to water vapour being thrown into the atmosphere and turning into a greenhouse gas.

University of Wollongong geologist Tim Barrows told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in 2020 that modelling on this was ‘speculative’ and that a likely short-term nuclear winter would not have led to the end of the Earth being covered in ice.

Little in the area suggests its significance with only the Barlangi Rock, a small hill in the centre of the site, being the only significant marker of Earth’s tumultuous past.

Previously, the Vredefort Dome had been the only dated impact structure.

The 2 billion-year-old crater can be found in South Africa and is also the world’s biggest at over 155miles across.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Arrow MORE: Australian Grand Prix 2025: UK start time, schedule, weather and how to watch F1 race on TV

Arrow MORE: Radio star in tears recounting heinous misogynistic comments from taxi driver

Arrow MORE: Elon Musk disrupts 240 flights with SpaceX rocket explosion after spate of air disasters

News Updates

Stay on top of the headlines with daily email updates.

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Email Print
Share
What do you think?
Love0
Sad0
Happy0
Sleepy0
Angry0
Dead0
Wink0
Previous Article BuyShsvsHwUKHwnsFnngNwWyskSgssusssngGnngnsnsGu
Next Article Xiaomi to add third EV model targeting mainstream markets · TechNode
Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Stay Connected

248.1k Like
69.1k Follow
134k Pin
54.3k Follow

Latest News

Skip sit-ups — this 20-minute Joe Wicks menopause workout builds strength and stability
News
Samsung is working on a badly needed battery-extending feature for Galaxy Watches (APK teardown)
News
Curry houses ‘could be WIPED OUT’ by Ed Miliband’s dash to Net Zero
News
Today's NYT Mini Crossword Answers for May 12 – CNET
News

You Might also Like

News

Skip sit-ups — this 20-minute Joe Wicks menopause workout builds strength and stability

7 Min Read
News

Samsung is working on a badly needed battery-extending feature for Galaxy Watches (APK teardown)

4 Min Read
News

Curry houses ‘could be WIPED OUT’ by Ed Miliband’s dash to Net Zero

4 Min Read
News

Today's NYT Mini Crossword Answers for May 12 – CNET

3 Min Read
//

World of Software is your one-stop website for the latest tech news and updates, follow us now to get the news that matters to you.

Quick Link

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Advertise
  • Contact

Topics

  • Computing
  • Software
  • Press Release
  • Trending

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

World of SoftwareWorld of Software
Follow US
Copyright © All Rights Reserved. World of Software.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?