Yarrabubba crater facts for kids
 Location in Western Australia
|
|
| Impact crater/structure | |
|---|---|
| Confidence | Confirmed |
| Diameter | 30–70 km (19–43 mi) |
| Age | 2229 Ma Paleoproterozoic |
| Exposed | Yes |
| Drilled | No |
| Location | |
| Location | Yilgarn Craton |
| Coordinates | 27°10′56″S 118°50′04″E / 27.18222°S 118.83444°E |
| Country | Australia |
| State | Western Australia |
| Municipality | Shire of Meekatharra |
The Yarrabubba crater is a very old place in Western Australia. It's what's left of a giant hole made when something from space crashed into Earth. This ancient crash site is found in a rocky area called the Yilgarn Craton. It's near a place called Yarrabubba Station, between the towns of Sandstone and Meekatharra. At 2.229 billion years old, it's one of the oldest known crash sites on our planet!
What is the Yarrabubba Crater?
You can't easily see the Yarrabubba crater from above today. The edges of the original crater have worn away completely over time. However, scientists know it's there because of special rocks and measurements.
The center of the old crater is around a place called Barlangi Rock. Scientists found special types of quartz there. These rocks show signs of being hit with extreme force. They also found "shatter cones," which are cone-shaped rocks formed by powerful impacts.
By studying these rocks and using special equipment that looks deep into the Earth (called geophysical data), scientists confirmed it was an impact crater. They think the original crater was between 30 and 70 kilometers (19 to 43 miles) wide. Imagine a space rock about 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) across hitting Earth! That's what they think caused this huge crater.
How Old is This Crater?
The Yarrabubba crater is 2,229 million years old. That's about 2.23 billion years! This makes it the oldest confirmed impact crater in the world.
This huge crash happened right at the end of a time when Earth was mostly or completely covered in ice. This icy period is known as the Huronian glaciation.
Scientists figured out the crater's age by studying tiny, ancient crystals. They looked at crystals of minerals called zircon and monazite found at the crater site. They used a method called uranium-lead dating. This method helps them measure how old rocks and minerals are by looking at tiny amounts of radioactive elements inside them.
See also
In Spanish: Cráter Yarrabubba para niños
