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Earth

Earliest evidence of a meteorite hitting Earth found in Australia

Tiny pieces of stone found in a rock formation in Western Australia may be the oldest evidence of a meteorite impact on Earth, dating back nearly 3.5 billion years

By Leah Crane

15 March 2023

The evidence was found in a group of sedimentary and volcanic rocks in western Australia

The evidence was found in a group of sedimentary and volcanic rocks in Western Australia

Alamy Stock Photo

The oldest evidence of a meteorite impact on Earth has been found in Western Australia, inside a group of sedimentary and volcanic rocks called the Dresser Formation.

It is difficult to find and date old rocks on Earth because the constant geological and biological activity wears down the planet’s crust. “If we go back about 3.5 billion years, there is only a very, very small percentage of the earth’s crust that is of that age,”…

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