The Deniliquin structure, a large asteroid crater, may have been discovered beneath Australia. That is what geologist Andrew Glikson discovered during his research.
It is also possible that it is one of the largest craters ever discovered on Earth.
Glikson revealed his discovery of the Deniliquin structure beneath Australia in an essay published in The Conversation. The study, which was published in the journal Tectonophysics, indicated that the impact site had a diameter of more than 320 miles.
Geologist Andrew Glikson claims to have discovered a large asteroid crater at the ocean’s bottom.
That is enormous in comparison to the previous record holder, the Vredefort Crater in South Africa. The Vredefort Crater has a diameter of only 100 kilometers. As a result, this would be the largest impact crater discovered to date.
It’s taken a long time for information on the Deniliquin structure to become available. Tony Yeates developed the theory in the 1990s and continues to co-author additional studies on the subject. The big structure would not be confirmed until an examination of something beneath New South Wales was completed in 2020.
“When an asteroid collides with the Earth, it creates a crater with an uplifted core.” When you put a stone in a pool, a drop of water bursts upward from a brief crater.”
-Andrew Glikson, geologist
The next stage was to determine whether or not this structure was caused by an asteroid impact. This could provide more information about how craters have shaped our world. It could also tell us more about our planet’s history, as the Chicxulub crater was thought to be produced by the asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs.
However, given the size of the crater, one could wonder how it remained concealed for so long. “The history of Earth’s bombardment by asteroids,” Gilkson stated, “is largely concealed.” This is due to the way craters form.
So, when exactly did this impact occur? According to the findings, that happened around 445 million years ago.
“When an asteroid strikes, it creates a crater with an uplifted core,” Gilkson says. When you put a stone in a pool, a drop of water bursts upward from a brief crater.”
The core dome of these craters might potentially be hidden by millions of years of erosion. Such features can potentially be obscured by the collision of Earth’s tectonic plates.
There are also other indicators that point to this discovery being an asteroid crater. Ripples in the crust could be created by the high temperature of the collision. Radial faults, which are prevalent at most crater impact sites, are also evident.
So, when exactly did this impact occur? According to the findings, that happened around 445 million years ago. This could be related to the Late Ordovician mass extinction event, which is thought to have wiped out 85 percent of Earth’s life.
Even with so many exciting possibilities, additional research on the Deniliquin structure is required. Deep excavation, according to Gilkson, could reveal more evidence that this is an asteroid crater. Currently, the research is limited to the crater’s surface.
What’s important to note here is how this discovery alters our understanding of extinction episodes. The Chicxulub impact is less than half the size of the Deniliquin impact, which was considered to have wiped off the dinosaurs.
The study of the Deniliquin structure has been gradual, but this new insight could lead to more important research. If it was triggered by an asteroid, the more intriguing question remains: how large was that asteroid?
The Deniliquin impact crater may become the most fascinating of all the Earth’s impact craters. There’s no telling how many mysteries regarding Earth’s millions of years and what shaped life on our planet are hidden within its core.
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