Scientists in Australia find ‘smoking gun’ evidence of world’s oldest meteorite strike

Automatisch samengesteld met AI uit de vermelde bronnen

North Pole Dome crater in Western Australia’s Pilbara region has been dated to about 3 billion years, making it older than the 2.2‑billion‑year‑old Yarrabubba crater, previously thought to be Earth’s oldest. The age was determined by Sensitive High‑Resolution Ion MicroProbe analysis of shock‑recrystallised zircon and apatite growth in shatter cones; the match between the two independent mineral clocks is described by the researchers as a “smoking gun”. The findings are published in *Geology*.