Australian Geologist Discovers Rare Meteorite Impact Crater on Google Earth

In July 2007, Australian geologist Arthur Hickman was browsing satellite images of Western Australia on Google Earth when he stumbled upon an unusual formation in the outback.

The shape was a near-perfect circle, approximately 260 metres (850 feet) in diameter. Initially, Hickman didn't recognize it as anything significant, but further investigation revealed that it could be a meteorite impact crater.

A study published in the Australian Journal of Earth Sciences confirmed this theory, citing evidence from the crater's structure and composition. The researchers concluded that an iron projectile about 10 metres across had excavated the crater roughly 80 metres deep, likely during the Late Pleistocene period between 10,000 and 100,000 years ago.

To confirm their findings, the Geological Survey of Western Australia drilled into the crater in 2012. The drill core revealed that the upper layers were sediment accumulated after the impact, while deeper layers showed fractured rhyolite, the original bedrock. The presence of platinum group elements and high nickel concentration further supported the meteoritic origin.

Haines suggests that the projectile's small size might have slowed down significantly before impacting, reducing shock pressures below what would normally form planar deformation features. This unusual crater is believed to be one of the youngest in Australia, with the first detailed published analysis coming from the 2008 paper 'Hickman Crater, Ophthalmia Range, Western Australia: evidence supporting a meteorite impact origin.'