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Gosses Bluff Meteorite Well in Western Australia – Photo: GETTY IMAGES
According to the ForbesWhile drilling underground for gold, experts from the Evolution Mining Company (Australia) noticed many strange spots. Some rocks are abnormally deformed, in which many layers differ from each other.
The discovered location is in Ora Banda, the remote lands of Western Australia. When examined under a microscope, many layers of rock deep in the ground have a texture similar to broken glass. When analyzing the layers of gold in the mine, the experts also found that this precious mineral appeared to have been broken by a powerful external force.
Immediately, a group of scientists from many famous universities in Australia entered. Geophysicist Jayson Meyers (Australia) said the team has used many modern mapping methods, such as electronic scanning or weight analysis, to unravel the mystery.
Location of the newly discovered crater – Photo: GOOGLE MAP
As a result, scientists identified it as a giant crater. However, the hole is not “exposed”, that is, visible on the ground like many other holes. The process of accumulation of layers of soil in the middle of the desert has temporarily hidden this meteorite hole.
The group of stones, whose diameter can be up to 5 km, is in the group of craters with the largest size today. Dr. Jayson Meyers also limited and determined the circumference of the hole.
Through carbon analysis, the team initially predicted that this crater formed more than 100 million years ago, in the Cretaceous period. This is also the flourishing period of the dinosaurs.
Currently, the team is looking further at the physical properties within this area. The team observed the impact of this asteroid crater in its surroundings.
The craters were formed by collisions between Earth and meteorites many years ago. The impact of a strong force caused the ground to sink inward. Over hundreds of millions of years, many wells have been restored by sediment and rocks.
So far, scientists have known that around 180 meteorite craters still retain the structure, most of which are “open-pit” holes. Some meteor craters are incredible in size and age.
Also located in Western Australia, Yarrabubba is often considered the oldest crater on Earth. The well has a diameter of almost 70 km (dashed white circle) but only a small part is “exposed”. The team from the University of Curtin (Australia) analyzed isotopes of the minerals zircon and monazite and determined that this hole formed about 2.2 billion years ago, equivalent to approximately half the age of the Earth – Photo: GOOGLE EARTH
A meteor crater discovered in 2019 in China. The hole is approximately 1.9 km in diameter and 150 m deep. The Guangzhou Institute of Geology said the hole is located in China’s Xiaxing An Mountain Range. So far, only about 1/3 of the crater has been damaged. – Photo: NYK DAILY
Karakul Hole in Tajikistan. Situated at an altitude of 3,900 m above sea level, Karakul is often considered one of the tallest meteor craters in the world. The well is estimated to be about 25 million years old. Today, the well is located in the Tajikistan National Park, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2013 – Photo: WIKIMEDIA
Located in the northeast of the Great Sand Desert (Western Australia), the crater of Wolfe Creek is almost intact. According to scientists, Wolfe Creek is about 880 m wide and about 55 m deep. The hole is quite “young”, it was formed no more than 120,000 years ago when a meteorite fell to Earth at a speed of about 15 km / s – Photo: GETTY IMAGES
Barringer is one of the most famous meteorite craters in the world in America. Barringer is about 170 m deep, about 1.6 km in diameter, and is often considered the largest intact “open-air” meteor crater today – Photo: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
Barringer’s hole is also quite “young”, about 50,000 years old. Earlier, a nearly 50 m diameter meteorite that struck Earth in the Arizona desert created this hole. The collision is estimated to be 150 times more destructive than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima – Photo: PLANET
