SCIENTISTS have discovered a giant structure deep in Australia and they now think it’s the biggest of its kind.
Andrew Glikson and his colleague Tony Yeates recently published a study on what they think is the world’s largest impact structure.
Science AlertScientists have studied the landscape to spot sides of an impact[/caption]
The recent research explains how the crater is located in southern New South Wales.
It’s called the Deniliquin structure and it’s about 323 miles wide.
That’s larger than the near-186-mile wide Vredefort impact structure which is located in South Africa.
That’s currently considered the world’s largest structure of its kind.
The scientists think the structure was formed around 445 million years ago.
That was a time period called the Late Ordovician.
Detecting such structures in the modern day is difficult because of things like erosion and water hiding the impact crater.
Detailed maps have been made to suggest where the asteroid may have impacted Earth.
Scientists also have to use geological discoveries to add to their theories.
This includes finding examples of ejecta.
Ejecta is material that breaks away from the Earth when a space rock impacts and can end up far away from the impact site.
The Deniliquin structure has yet to be further tested.
More research including drilling could confirm whether it’s actually the largest of its kind.