The world's oldest meteorite crater —a giant impact zone more than 62 miles wide — has been found in Greenland, scientists say. Scientists think it was formed 3 billion years ago by a A study published Jan. 14 estimates the crater at 69 to 93 miles in diameter, more than twice as big as previously thought. If the projections are correct, the so-called Alamo impact would rank as The biggest impact crater in Illinois is in Des Plaines, a Chicago suburb of 60,000 people located northwest of the city center and north of O’Hare International Airport. The crater is 5.5 miles in diameter. It was made by a meteor or cometary nucleus approximately 200 feet in diameter and perhaps traveling at 30,000 mph. Located in South Africa is the Vredefort Crater measuring 25 miles (40 km) deep and 62 miles (100 km) wide. It is the world's oldest and largest known impact structure. Credit: NASA Earth Though it is classified as an impact event, the object is thought to have exploded at an altitude of 5 to 10 kilometres (3 to 6 miles) rather than having hit the Earth’s surface, leaving no impact crater. The Tunguska event is the largest impact event on Earth in recorded history, though much larger impacts occurred in prehistoric times. The history of Earth’s bombardment by asteroids is largely concealed. There are a few reasons for this. The first is erosion: the process by which gravity, wind and water slowly wear away land materials through time. When an asteroid strikes, it creates a crater with an uplifted core. The mystery has dogged researchers for years. The big hole in the ground -- 570 feet deep and 4,100 feet (1.25 kilometers) across -- was blown into existence 50,000 years ago by an asteroid These Lakes Are Actually Craters Made By Asteroids. O n June 30th, 1908, an asteroid entered the Earth’s atmosphere above Tunguska, Siberia and exploded with the energy of about 185 Hiroshima The Canyon Diablo meteorite impacted the Earth about 50,000 years ago, creating the Meteor Crater. The crater is about 4,000 feet wide and 600 feet deep. The impact of the meteorite excavated the crater, lifting up 175 million tons of sandstone and limestone, and tossing much of it outside the crater. The crater is one of the world’s best hhLI.

biggest meteor crater on earth