Published on June 29th, 2012 | by James Johnson
0Earth’s Oldest Meteor Crater Discovered In Greenland
Scientists in Greenland have discovered what might possibly be the oldest meteorite caused crater on Earth. The crater which is nearly 62 miles wide was likely formed 3 billion years ago by a 19-mile wide meteorite which collided with earth.
According to Space.com a meteorite 19-miles in size would likely wipe out humans. Scientists believe the crater was likely more than 300 miles wide when the meteorite first hit which would make it the largest on Earth. Because of erosion the crater likely shrunk by 75% over millions of years.
The crater was discovered by a Danish researcher as they analyzed maps of West Greenland. The discovery revealed an abundance of nickel and platinum, precious metals contained inside a meteorite.
One researcher notes:
“The process was rather like a Sherlock Holmes story. We were left with a giant impact as the only explanation for all of the facts.”