Precise radiometric age establishes Yarrabubba, Western Australia, as Earth's oldest recognised meteorite impact structure
Precise radiometric age establishes Yarrabubba, Western Australia, as Earth's oldest recognised meteorite impact structure
No Thumbnail Available
Files
Date
2020-01-21
Authors
Erickson, Timmons M.
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4520-7294
Kirkland, Christopher L.
Timms, Nicholas E.
Cavosie, Aaron J.
Davison, Thomas M.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Nature
Abstract
The ~70 km-diameter Yarrabubba impact structure in Western Australia is regarded as among Earth's oldest, but has hitherto lacked precise age constraints. Here we present U–Pb ages for impact-driven shock-recrystallised accessory minerals. Shock-recrystallised monazite yields a precise impact age of 2229 ± 5 Ma, coeval with shock-reset zircon. This result establishes Yarrabubba as the oldest recognised meteorite impact structure on Earth, extending the terrestrial cratering record back >200 million years.
Description
Keywords
Meteorite craters,
Western Australia,
Radioactive dating
Citation
Erickson, T.M., Kirkland, C.L., Timms, N.E. et al. Precise radiometric age establishes Yarrabubba, Western Australia, as Earth's oldest recognised meteorite impact structure. Nat Commun 11, 300 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-13985-7