A basin in the Falkland Islands exhibits traits of a large impact crater, according to a new analysis by a team of scientists. The structure measures approximately 250 kilometers, or more than 150 miles, in diameter and is described in the latest issue of the journal Terra Nova. The basin is situated on the Falkland (Malvinas) Plateau to the northwest of West Falkland (Gran Malvina) Island. Seen in seismic-reflection profiles, and in gravity and magnetic surveys, it has traits that are consistent with impact craters, which are caused by collisions with asteroids and comets. Approximately 200 such craters have been discovered on Earth. Read more
Did a Planetary Society citizen scientist help find one of Earth's biggest impact craters?
The story of the Falklands crater begins in 1991, shortly after evidence was piling up showing Chicxulub was probably the notorious dinosaur-killing impact site. Maps of Earth's gravity field there showed a circular distortion, indicating less-bulky sediment had settled in the crater since its formation. Michael Rampino, a geologist at New York University who now also works for NASA's Goddard Space Institute in New York, started looking for similar gravity anomalies elsewhere on Earth. He reasoned that a crater associated with the Great Dying would be even larger than that of Chicxulub, and he soon found one. Read more
Falkland Islands Basin Shows Signs of Being Among World's Largest Craters
A basin in the Falkland Islands exhibits traits of a large impact crater, according to a new analysis by a team of scientists. The structure measures approximately 250 kilometers, or more than 150 miles, in diameter and is described in the latest issue of the journal Terra Nova. Read more