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The Top 5 Largest Meteorite Craters on Earth
| Meteorite Impact Crater (location) |
Diameter in Kilometers | Estimated Age of Event | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vredefort Impact Crater, South Africa | 300 kms wide (186.4 miles) |
2 billion years ago |
| 2 | Sudbury Impact Crater, Ontario Canada | 250 kms wide (124.2 miles) |
1.8 billion years ago |
| 3 | Chicxulub Impact Crater, Yucatan, Mexico | 180 kms wide (112.0 miles) |
65 million years ago |
| 4 | Manicouagan Impact Crater, Quebec, Canada | 138 kms wide (87.0 miles) |
35.7 million years ago |
| 5 | Popigai Impact Crater, Russia | 100 kms wide (62.1 miles) |
580 million years ago |
Special Report
- The original Vredefort crater in South Africa, is now eroded and the 300 kilometres (186 miles) listed is an estimate of the original size. The visible crater measures about 180 kilometres (111 miles) today.
- Some impact craters on the moon measure more than 600 km (375 miles) across.
- On April 11th, 2006 the large "Valley of the Sky" iron meteorite, measuring 376 by 38 by 36.8 centimetres sold at auction for $93,000 (USD).
- About 500 to 600 meteorites fall to Earth each year. Most fall into the sea or in unpopulated areas (lucky us).
- The largest meteorite ever found is the Hoba iron meteorite which was found in 1920 on the Hoba West Farm, near Grootfontein, Namibia. Although it's the largest meteorite ever found, the Hoba left no visible crater. It is thought to have landed over 80,000 years ago and was found by a farmer ploughing his land. The Hoba meteorite has never been moved from where it fell (probably because it weighs over 60 tonnes).
Tags:
Space & The Universe, Planet Earth, Top 5 Largest
Sources: Top 5 of Anything research 2015.
List Notes: Data is top 5 largest meteorite impact craters ranked according to diameter. Ages of impact sites are estimated.
Sources: Top 5 of Anything research 2015.
List Notes: Data is top 5 largest meteorite impact craters ranked according to diameter. Ages of impact sites are estimated.
