--- title: World's Largest Asteroid Impact Found in Australia description: Evidence of 250-mile wide impact zone found deep underground canonical: https://time.com/3754917/asteroid-impact-australia/ author: Jack Linshi article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-23T19:28:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:40:58.962Z article:section: Science og:title: World's Largest Asteroid Crater Unearthed in Australia og:description: Evidence of 250-mile wide impact zone found deep underground og:url: https://time.com/3754917/asteroid-impact-australia/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: World's Largest Asteroid Crater Unearthed in Australia twitter:description: Evidence of 250-mile wide impact zone found deep underground twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # World's Largest Asteroid Crater Unearthed in Australia > Sponsored content. 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It reaches 40,000 subscribers with a 34.2% open rate and a 2.1% click rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: How to Hunt for New Earths [Watch (HLS stream): How to Hunt for New Earths](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/HM12kMGN.m3u8) (5:05)  _Published 2013-04-18. At the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawai'i, planet hunters focus their powerful telescope to search for earth-like exoplanets._  by [Jack Linshi](https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Mar 23, 2015 7:28 PM UTC  by [Jack Linshi](https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Mar 23, 2015 7:28 PM UTC Scientists have discovered evidence of a 250-mile wide crater in central Australia they believe was created by a colossal asteroid hundreds of millions of years ago. The largest impact zone ever discovered is no longer visible on the Earth’s surface, researchers from the Australian National University said [in a statement](http://www.anu.edu.au/news/all-news/worlds-largest-asteroid-impacts-found-in-central-australia) Monday, but could be identified by evidence buried deep in the earth’s crust. The scientists had been drilling for another geothermal research project when, by chance, they came across rock layers that had been turned to glass, which usually signifies a high-energy impact. Their findings, published recently in the journal [_Tectonophysics_](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040195114006477)_,_ contributes to the understanding of the Earth in prehistoric times. “Large impacts like these may have had a far more significant role in Earth’s evolution than previously thought,” said lead researcher Andrew Glikson. Still, the exact details of when the impact occurred remain unclear. While the rocks surrounding the impact zone are around 300 million years old, scientists said they have not yet found a similar layer in other sediments the same age. “It’s a mystery — we can’t find an extinction event that matches these collisions,” Glikson said. “I have a suspicion the impact could be older than 300 million years.” ### PHOTOS: This Astronaut's Images of Earth Look Like Beautiful Abstract Paintings  "Harsh land. Windswept valleys in northern #Africa"—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 6, 2014 Alexander Gerst—ESA  "Land use in South Africa, you can see where water is."—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 9, 2014. Alexander Gerst—ESA  "Irrigation in the #Sahara #Desert looks like a challenging task from up here... #BlueDot"—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 28, 2014 Alexander Gerst—ESA  "An open history book of our planet: the #Sahara Desert"—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 26, 2014 Alexander Gerst—ESA  "An open history book of our planet: the # Sahara Desert"—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 26, 2014 Alexander Gerst—ESA/SIPA USA  "Close-up of gigantic Salar of Uyuni in Bolivia. You can even see the salt fields and the 'Cactus Island'."—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 15, 2014. Alexander Gerst—ESA  "The #Moon was still behind the horizon. A #FataMorgana of atmospherical refraction #BlueDot"—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 14, 2014 Alexander Gerst—ESA/SIPA USA  "When I took this photo, I was sure these are clouds. But now I'm not so sure... #BlueDot"—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 7, 2014 Alexander Gerst—ESA  "Probably a river in Kazakhstan or slightly west of it."—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 29, 2014 Alexander Gerst—ESA/SIPA USA  "An open history book of our planet: the #Sahara Desert"—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 26, 2014 Alexander Gerst—ESA  "Human-made fires in East Africa. Can you spot them?"—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 9, 2014 Alexander Gerst—ESA ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3754917/asteroid-impact-australia/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3754917/asteroid-impact-australia/"},"headline":"World's Largest Asteroid Crater Unearthed in Australia","datePublished":"2015-03-23T19:28:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:40:58.962Z","description":"Evidence of 250-mile wide impact zone found deep underground","url":"https://time.com/3754917/asteroid-impact-australia/","keywords":["Archaeology","Environment","Space"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jack Linshi","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/archaeology/","name":"Archaeology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3754917/asteroid-impact-australia/","name":"World's Largest Asteroid Crater Unearthed in Australia"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"How to Hunt for New Earths","description":"At the W.M. 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