澳大利亚巨大陨石坑可能是地球上最古老的撞击结构

Geology Huge crater in Australia may be the oldest impact structure on Earth James Woodford A CRATER in Western Australia was created by an asteroid strike 3 billion years ago, according to a mineral-dating technique. This would make it the oldest on Earth – but its age has been questioned. The North Pole Dome crater, also known as the Miralga impact structure, was first described by Chris Kirkland at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, and his colleagues in 2025. They estimated it may be up to 100 kilometres wide. The researchers found a layer of rock containing cone-shaped features called shatter cones, which form only after a high- impact event, such as an asteroid strike. …