By their nature, all craters on the surface of the Earth are divided into two categories. The first, including calderas, are vents of active or extinct volcanoes, and the second, meteorites, were the result of the fall of cosmic bodies to the earth. There is a third category, these are artificial ones that appeared as a result of economic activity. Consider the largest impact geological features to find out where the largest crater on Earth formed. As an extreme indicator, we take a diameter of 60 km.
The largest craters on the planet:
12
Beaverhead. USA (∼∅60 km)
Found a crater in 1990. An entire expedition was sent to him, which accurately established the size, age and mineral deposits within the crater. They named it in the largest administrative district of Montana.
It was found that the depression within the modern states of Montana and Idaho remained as a result of the fall of a large meteorite about 600 million years ago. The diameter of Bivarhend is 60 km, and it opens our list of the largest craters.
11
Kara. Russia (∼∅65 km)
In 1904, a new geological object appeared on the map of Russia, which at first was considered the crater of a cooled volcano. It was only in the early 60s that it was possible to establish for certain that the depression, 65 km in diameter, was formed as a result of shock metamorphism.
The age of the depression is estimated by scientists at 75-50 million years. Later Cretaceous sediments overlapped the Paleozoic and Cenozoic layers. In shape, this is not quite a circle, since the mountain range of Pai-Khoi was raised in the Paleozoic era.
10
Morokweng. South Africa (∼∅70 km)
A meteorite with a diameter of 5 km, having fallen to the Earth about 145 million years ago, formed a funnel 70 km in diameter. They named the object by the name of the city, which was built on the border of South Africa and Botswana.
For millions of years, his ring was covered with sand, and the crater was discovered only in 1994 due to an anomalous magnetic field. During research, a meteorite fragment was found here, which proved that there was a collision of the Earth with a large asteroid. Found a splinter at a record depth of 777 m.
9
Puchezh-Katunsky. Russia (∼∅80 km)
Falling to the Earth millions of years ago, a meteorite formed a crater with a diameter of 80 km, which today harmoniously fits into the four regions of the Nizhny Novgorod region. This was the first astro problem discovered in Russia.
The study began in 1865. Then they established the exact dimensions and proved that this is not an extinct ancient volcano, namely the result of a meteorite fall. The geological object 120 km from Nizhny Novgorod is also called the Vorotilovsky ledge.
8
Chesapeake Bay. USA (∼∅85 km)
About 35 million years ago, a meteorite fell on the eastern coast of the North American continent, leaving behind a funnel with a diameter of 85 km. Today it is one of the largest marine craters.
The fall of the space object influenced the formation of the coastal shape of the Chesapeake Bay. The geological object is well preserved and at the end of the twentieth century was thoroughly investigated. Based on the results, American Paug S. Wiley published a book of his findings in 1999.
7
Akraman. Australia (∼∅90 km)
Asteroid chondrite collided with the Earth, where the Green Continent is now located about 590 million years ago, forming a crater with a diameter of 90 km. The debris from the explosion is within 450 km from the place of impact.
Over time, Akraman's contours underwent erosion, and scientists were able to recreate a computer model of the collision and its consequences. The ejection layers settled within the Flinders ridge and at the bottom of a small sea, which at that time was in this part of the earth's surface.
6
Have a drink. Russia (∼∅100 km)
In the valley of the Popigay River, flowing through the vast expanses of Siberia, a crater with a diameter of just over 100 km was formed as a result of a meteorite fall. It got its name from the only village that grew inside it.
At the end of the Eocene period, about 36 million years ago, a large asteroid hit the earth. In 1946, he was first discovered and described by D. Kozhevin. In 1970, during the expedition, large deposits of impact diamonds were discovered here. The diamond deposit located in Yakutia is one of the largest in the world. The information was classified and released only in 2012.
5
Manicouagan. Canada (∼∅100 km)
In the heart of the province of Quebec is a crater with a diameter of 100 km, formed as a result of the fall of an asteroid. Over millions of years, erosion has reduced the diameter to 71 km.
A beautiful ring-shaped lake has formed in Manicouagan, and Mount Babylon is considered the highest peak of the picturesque geological complex. From the surface of the Earth it is difficult to appreciate all the beauty. In 1983, an amazing object was removed from outer space. High-resolution photos from the STS-9 then appeared on the covers of popular travel magazines. According to TheBiggest, this is one of the most beautiful objects that can be viewed from the orbital station.
4
Chiksulub. Mexico (∼∅180 km)
About 65 million years ago, a meteorite crashed into the Yucatan Peninsula, forming a crater with a diameter of 180 km and a depth of up to 20 km. The collision caused a powerful tsunami, and then forest fires began over the entire surface of the land, changing the climate of the planet.
An amazing geological object in Maya means “Demon of ticks”, because in this part of Central America there really are a lot of ticks. We opened it in 1978, at the same time it was possible to measure the exact parameters of Chiksulub.
3
Sudbury. Canada (∼∅248 km)
About 1.85 billion years ago, when the Paleoproterozoic era reigned on the planet, a huge asteroid 10 km in diameter fell to Earth. There is a version that the Earth collided with a comet.
As a result of this event, a crater was formed, the diameter of which reaches 248 km. At the end of the 19th century, the city of Greater Sudbury was nearby, which gave the name to the geological object. Some geologists disprove the version of cosmic origin, believing that Sunbury is the result of volcanic activity.
We advise you to read: The most powerful volcanoes on the planet.
2
Wredefort. South Africa (∼∅300 km)
The largest impact crater of the planet is located 120 km from the capital of the Republic of South Africa, and got its name from the city of Wredefort that grew within its borders. Similar ringed objects are often found on other planets.
It was formed about 2.02 billion years ago as a result of the fall of an asteroid. This is one of the oldest craters on the planet. Its diameter is 300 km and an area of 30,000 ha. Earth's second oldest crater. Only Suavjärvi, which is located in Karelia, is older than him.
1
Wilkes Land Crater. Antarctica (∼∅500 km)
Geologists still consider the unexplored geological formation under the ice sheet of the Antarctic as the largest crater, so according to preliminary estimates its diameter is about 500 km.
They first talked about him in 1962, and at the beginning of the twentieth century, the calculations were confirmed. Its age was estimated at 250 million years, and perhaps its decline caused the Permian mass extinction of living organisms on Earth. In order not to disturb the unique ecosystem of the snowy continent, the research work was decided to stop.
A small summary
So we found out where the largest crater on Earth is. As a geological object, they are found on other planets of the solar system. The largest crater on Mars is named after the ancient self-designation of Greece - the plain of Hellas. On Mercury, this is the plain of Zhary, and on the visible side of the moon, the largest is the Bayi crater, which can easily be viewed through a telescope. There are similar objects on Jupiter and Venus, but on these planets they are much smaller than on the surface of the moon.
TheBiggest is happy to hear from you. What big craters of the planet did you see yourself? Share your impressions with our readers.