 | This articleappears to contradict itself on the sizes of craters. Please see thetalk page for more information.(January 2018) |
This list ofimpact structures (including impact craters) onEarth contains the majority of the 194+ confirmed impact structures given in theEarth Impact Database as of 2024.[1]
Alphabetical lists for different continents can be found underImpact structures by continent below.
Unconfirmed structures can be found atList of possible impact structures on Earth.
These features were caused by the collision ofmeteors (consisting of large fragments ofasteroids) orcomets (consisting of ice, dust particles and rocky fragments) with the Earth. For eroded or buried craters, the stated diameter typically refers to the best available estimate of the originalrim diameter, and may not correspond to present surface features. Time units are either inka (thousands) orMa (millions) of years.
Less than ten thousand years old, and with a diameter of 100 m (330 ft) or more. The EID lists fewer than ten such craters, and the largest in the last 100,000 years (100 ka) is the 4.5 km (2.8 mi)Rio Cuarto crater inArgentina.[2] However, there is some uncertainty regarding its origins[3] and age, with some sources giving it as < 10ka[2][4] while the EID gives a broader < 100 ka.[3]
TheKaali impacts (c. 1500 BC) during theNordic Bronze Age may have influencedEstonian and Finnish mythology,[5] theCampo del Cielo (c. 2500 BC) could be in the legends of someNative Argentine tribes,[6][7] whileHenbury (c. 2700 BC) has figured inAustralian Aboriginal oral traditions.[8]
| Name | Location | Country | Diameter (km) | Age (ka) | Date | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wabar | Rub' al Khali desert | Saudi Arabia | 0.1 | 0.2 | ~1800 AD | 21°30′N50°28′E / 21.500°N 50.467°E /21.500; 50.467 |
| Dalgaranga | Western Australia | Australia | 0.024 | less than 3? | ||
| Whitecourt | Alberta | Canada | 0.04 | 1.1 | 900 AD | 54°00′N115°36′W / 54.000°N 115.600°W /54.000; -115.600 |
| Kaali | Saaremaa | Estonia | 0.1 | 3.5 | 1500 BC | 58°24′N22°40′E / 58.400°N 22.667°E /58.400; 22.667 |
| Campo del Cielo | Chaco | Argentina | 0.1[7] | 4.5 | 2500 BC | 27°38′S61°42′W / 27.633°S 61.700°W /-27.633; -61.700 |
| Henbury | Northern Territory | Australia | 0.2 | 4.7 | 2700 BC | 24°34′S133°8′E / 24.567°S 133.133°E /-24.567; 133.133 |
| Morasko | Poznań | Poland | 0.1 | 5.0[9] | 3000 BC | 52°29′N16°54′E / 52.483°N 16.900°E /52.483; 16.900 |
| Boxhole | Northern Territory | Australia | 0.2 | 5.4 | 3400 BC | 22°37′S135°12′E / 22.617°S 135.200°E /-22.617; 135.200 |
| Macha | Sakha Republic | Russia | 0.3 | 7.3 | 5300 BC | 60°6′N117°35′E / 60.100°N 117.583°E /60.100; 117.583 |
| Luna | Gujarat | India | 1.5-1.8 | less than 6.9 | < 5000 BC |
The EID gives a size of about 50 m (160 ft) for Campo del Cielo, but other sources quote 100 m (330 ft).[7]
From between 10 thousand years and one million years ago, and with a diameter of less than one km (0.62 mi):
| Name | Location | Country | Diameter (km) | Age (ka) | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolfe Creek | Western Australia | Australia | 0.9 | < 120 | 19°10′18″S127°47′44″E / 19.17167°S 127.79556°E /-19.17167; 127.79556 |
| Hickman | 0.26 | 10-100 | |||
| Kalkkop | Eastern Cape | South Africa | 0.64 | ~250 | |
| Jeokjung-Chogye Basin | Gyeongsangnam | South Korea | 8 | 30-63 | 35°32′40″N128°15′53″E / 35.54444°N 128.26472°E /35.54444; 128.26472 |
| Monturaqui | Atacama Desert | Chile | 0.455 | 640 ± 140 | 23°55′40″S68°15′41″W / 23.92778°S 68.26139°W /-23.92778; -68.26139 |
| Pantasma | Jinotega | Nicaragua | 14 | 804 | |
| Amguid | Tamanrasset | Algeria | 0.45 | 10-100 | |
| Aorounga Central | Borkou | Chad | 16 | Possibly 500 |
From between ten thousand years and one million years ago, and with a diameter of one km (0.62 mi) or more. The largest in the last one million years is the 14-kilometre (8.7 mi)Zhamanshin crater inKazakhstan and has been described as being capable of producing anuclear-like winter.[10]
The source of the enormousAustralasian strewnfield (c. 780ka) is a currently undiscovered crater probably located in Southeast Asia.[11][12]
| Name | Location | Country | Diameter (km) | Age (ka) | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yilan | Heilongjiang | China | 1.85 | 49 | 46°23′4″N129°19′39″E / 46.38444°N 129.32750°E /46.38444; 129.32750 |
| Meteor/Barringer | Arizona | United States | 1.2 | 49 | 35°1′39″N111°1′22″W / 35.02750°N 111.02278°W /35.02750; -111.02278 |
| Xiuyan | Xiuyan | China | 1.8 | 50 | 40°21′42″N123°27′47″E / 40.36167°N 123.46306°E /40.36167; 123.46306 |
| Lonar | Maharashtra | India | 1.8 | 576 ± 47 | 19°58′37″N76°30′32″E / 19.97694°N 76.50889°E /19.97694; 76.50889 |
| Agoudal[13] | Atlas Mountains | Morocco | 3.0 | 105 | 31°59′N5°30′W / 31.983°N 5.500°W /31.983; -5.500 |
| Tswaing | Pretoria Saltpan | South Africa | 1.1 | 220 | 25°24′32″S28°4′58″E / 25.40889°S 28.08278°E /-25.40889; 28.08278 |
| Zhamanshin | Kazakhstan | Kazakhstan | 14.0 | 900 ± 100 | 48°24′0″N60°58′0″E / 48.40000°N 60.96667°E /48.40000; 60.96667 |
From between 1 and 10 million years ago. The large but apparently craterlessEltanin impact (2.5 Ma) into thePacific Ocean has been suggested as contributing to the glaciations and cooling during the Pliocene.[14]
Most recorded impact craters are over 10 million years old, or have widely uncertain ages. TheChicxulub impact has been widely considered the most likely cause for theCretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction, with some scholars linking other impacts like thePopigai impact in Russia and theChesapeake Bay impact to later extinction events, though the causal relationship has been questioned.[15]
Some impact events are only known from events like layers of spherules ortektites generated by the impact recorded in contemporary rocks, and their impact structures may no longer exist.
| Name | Location | Country | Diameter (km) | Age (million years) | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eltanin impact | Southern Ocean | Bellingshausen Sea southwest of Chile (layer of unmelted and melted meteoritic debris found in deep sea cores) | none | 2.5[18] | 57°47′S90°47′W / 57.783°S 90.783°W /-57.783; -90.783 |
| Australasian strewnfield | Unknown (likely Southeast Asia) | Unknown | Unknown, possibly ~15[19] | 0.788[20] | N/A |
| Nuussuaq (Disko) spherule bed | Unknown | Unknown (spherule bed found inNuussuaq Peninsula, Western Greenland) | Unknown | ~61-62[21] | |
| Qidong spherule bed | Unknown | Unknown (spherule bed found near Qidong,Hunan, China) | Unknown | ~374[22] | |
| Senzeilles (Hony) microtektite bed | Unknown | Unknown (microtektite bed found in Belgium) | Unknown | ~376[22][23] | |
| Osmussaar breccia | easternGulf of Finland region | Unknown (breccia layer found inEstonia) | Unknown | ~466[24] | |
| Vakkejokk Breccia | Northern Scandinavia | Likely northern Sweden (proximal ejecta layer found in the North-Swedish Caledonides) | Around 4-5 | ~520[25] | |
| Kitkiöjärvi impact melt | Northern Scandinavia | Likely either northern Sweden or northern Finland (impact melt rock found in glacial deposits in gravel pit) | Unknown | 658.9 ± 6.9[26] | |
| Unnamed | Northern Greenland | Denmark (impact melt rock found in glaciofluvial deposits inInglefield Land, Greenland) | Unknown | 1039 ± 16[27] | |
| Stac Fada Member | Scotland | Scotland (proximal ejecta layer found in Scotland) | Likely around 13-14 | 990 ± 20[28] | |
| Paraburdoo-Reivilo spherule bed | Unknown | Unknown (spherule beds found in South Africa and Australia[29][30]) | Unknown | ~2570[30] | |
| Monteville-Carawine-Jeerinah spherule bed | ~2630[30] | ||||
| S1-Warrawoona spherule bed | Likely in the range of 400-1000[31] | ~3472[31] | |||
| S2 spherule bed | Unknown (spherule beds found in South Africa)[29] | Estimated to be around 500[32] | ~3260[33] | ||
| S3 spherule bed | Likely in the range of 400-1000[31] | ~3243[34] | |||
| S4 spherule bed | ~3240[35] | ||||
| S5 spherule bed | ~3225[35] | ||||
| S6 spherule bed | ~3256[35] | ||||
| S7 spherule bed | ~3416[35] | ||||
| S8 spherule bed | ~3298[35] |
As of 2022[update], theEarth Impact Database (EID) contains 190 confirmed impact structures.[1] The table below is arranged by thecontinent's percentage of the Earth's land area, and where Asian and Russian structures are grouped together per EID convention.
The global distribution of known impact structures apparently shows a surprising asymmetry,[36] with the small but well-fundedEuropean continent having alarge percentage of confirmed impact structures. As meteorites impacting Earth should impact evenly across the surface, it is suggested this situation is an artifact, highlighting the importance of intensifying research in less studied areas likeAntarctica,South America and elsewhere.[36]
| Continent | Continent's % of Earth's land area | Continent's % of the 190 known impact structures | Number of impact structures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asia and Russia | 30% | 16% | 31 |
| Africa | 20% | 11% | 20 |
| North America | 16% | 32% | 60 |
| South America | 12% | 6% | 11 |
| Antarctica | 9% | 0% | 1 |
| Europe | 7% | 22% | 41 |
| Australia | 6% | 14% | 27 |
| Total | 100% | 100% | 190 |
