17/06/2025
After the Impact: 10 Must-See Craters on Earth:
1. Chicxulub Crater (Mexico)
Interesting Fact: This 180 km wide crater has been linked to the extinction of dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
Interesting Fact: It lies buried beneath the Yucatan Peninsula and is only partially visible in satellite imagery.
2. Vredefort Crater (South Africa)
Interesting Fact: At 2 billion years old and approximately 300 km in diameter, this crater is the largest and oldest confirmed impact crater on Earth.
Interesting Fact: The central rise (Vredefort Dome) is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
3. Sudbury Basin (Canada)
Interesting Fact: Formed 1.8 billion years ago, this crater is the second largest confirmed impact crater on Earth.
Fun Fact: Rich in nickel and other metals, this crater fueled Canada’s mining industry.
4. Manicouagan Crater (Canada)
Fun Fact: Known as the “Eye of Quebec,” this 100-kilometer-wide crater has a distinctive ring-shaped lake.
Fun Fact: It can be easily seen from space and is often mistaken for a volcanic caldera.
5. Barringer Crater (USA)
Fun Fact: Also called a meteor crater, it is only about 50,000 years old and is one of the best-preserved impact sites.
Fun Fact: The crater is only 1.2 kilometers wide, but was formed by a meteorite that was only 50 meters in diameter.
6. Lonar Crater (India)
Fun Fact: This rare crater was formed in basalt rock, making it geologically unique.
Fun Fact: It is filled with both fresh and salt water, supporting a rare dual ecosystem.
7. Gosses Bluff (Australia)
Fun Fact: According to Aboriginal legend, known as Tnorala in Western Arrernte, it was formed by a baby falling from the Milky Way.
Fun Fact: The ring currently visible is about 5 km in diameter, but the original crater was closer to 22 km across.
8. Wolfe Creek Crater (Australia)
Fun Fact: This crater, featured in the horror movie Wolf Creek, is one of the best-preserved small impact craters in the world.
Fun Fact: Aboriginal Dreamtime stories also describe the crater's formation in cosmic terms.
9. Black Crater (Russia)
Fun Fact: It has been partially destroyed by erosion and tectonic activity, but it may have originally been as large as 120 km across.
Fun Fact: Located in the Russian Arctic, this crater is one of the most remote craters on the list.
10. Popigai Crater (Russia)
Fun Fact: This 100 km wide crater is one of the world's largest diamond deposits, resulting from the shock transformation of graphite.
Fun Fact: The diamonds are industrial quality, not gem quality, but incredibly abundant.