Led by Curtin University geologists Chris Kirkland and Tim Johnson, a research team unearthed this primeval crater beneath rock layers in the East Pilbara Terrane of Western Australia. The oldest Archaean crater before this discovery went back only 2.2 billion years.

Scientists with a new theory about how Earth’s early continents formed predicted where a superold impact crater should be—then found it

A rocky stretch in Western Australia's Pilbara, near Earth's earliest-confirmed lifeforms, was hit by a meteorite about 3.5 billion years ago.

Researchers say they have found "unequivocal evidence" that a meteorite smashed into Earth 3.47 billion years ago, potentially affecting plate tectonics and creating conditions for life.

The discovery bolsters the theory that meteorite impacts played an important role in Earth's early geological history

Curtin University researchers have discovered the world's oldest known meteorite impact crater, which could significantly redefine our understanding of the origins of life and how our planet was shaped.

It suggests that the world was previously hit by huge impacts that we may not know about, and the craters left behind might have been the place that life on Earth began. “We know large impacts were common in the early solar system from looking at the Moon,

The find could hold implications for understanding the origin of life here on Earth.

Previously, the Vredefort Dome had been the only dated impact structure. The 2 billion-year-old crater can be found in South Africa and is also the world’s biggest at over 155miles across.

Researchers found the world’s oldest impact crater in Western Australia. The crater was created by a massive meteorite impact.

The world's oldest known impact crater has been identified at a site in the Pilbara, which is a part of Western Australia... | Earth And The Environment