Imagine a city-sized meteorite crashing into Earth at a staggering speed. That is exactly what happened 3.5 billion years ago in what is now northern Australia, and now, a team of scientists from Curtin University has discovered the traces of this ancient cataclysm, rewriting the history of our planet.
The crater is located in the North Pole Dome, a region in Pilbara, Western Australia. Researchers from Curtin University’s School of Planetary Sciences and the Geological Survey of Western Australia (GSWA) have uncovered evidence of this unprecedented cosmic impact.
Until now the Yarrabubba crater, located between the towns of Sandstone and Meekatharra in Western Australia, was considered to be the oldest impact structure, with an estimated diameter between 30 and 70 kilometers, and an age of approximately 2229 million years.
Before this discovery, the oldest known impact crater was 2.2 billion years old. Now we know that meteorites have been reshaping Earth far earlier than we previously thought, explained Professor Tim Johnson, one of the study’s lead researchers.
The team found clues to this ancient impact in geological structures known as shatter cones, or impact cones. These rock formations only occur when an immense force—such as that of a meteorite traveling at 36,000 km/h—strikes the Earth’s surface. These impact signatures are located about 40 kilometers west of Marble Bar, a remote area in western Australia.
The meteorite not only left a scar more than 100 kilometers wide, but its collision with Earth may have scattered debris across the entire planet. And this was not an event without consequences: it may have permanently altered Earth’s geology.
Scientists have long known that the Moon is covered in impact craters from that era, but on Earth, such ancient craters are difficult to find due to erosion and tectonic activity. Until now, impacts from this period were virtually invisible to us. This discovery gives us a new clue about what was happening on Earth during its first billion years, Johnson remarked.
The impact not only shaped the planet’s surface but may have also played a role in the emergence of life. According to Professor Chris Kirkland, another author of the study, these catastrophic events could have created environments conducive to microbial life, such as hot springs and hydrothermal systems.
These types of craters would have generated pools of hot water and mineral-rich environments, perfect for early microbes to find a home, Kirkland explained. Additionally, the energy released by the impact may have helped form cratons, the massive landmasses that later became the foundation of the continents.
SOURCES
Kirkland, C.L., Johnson, T.E., Kaempf, J. et al. A Paleoarchaean impact crater in the Pilbara Craton, Western Australia. Nat Commun 16, 2224 (2025). doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57558-3
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