We Might Have Underestimated The Size of The Asteroid Behind Earth's Largest Crater

28 September 2022
By DAVID NIELD

The Vredefort crater in South Africa is the largest of its kind on Earth, estimated to stretch as far as 300 kilometers (more than 180 miles) from rim to rim. Walking non-stop, it would take a good two-and-a-half days to make it from one side to the other.

The scars left by an asteroid collision some two billion years ago have long since been all but scoured away by the elements, leaving room for speculation over its true scale and the forces that created it. Now new research based on what's thought to be a more accurate simulation of the impact event suggests that the object that made the crater was larger than previously believed.

Earlier estimates put the asteroid at 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) in diameter, traveling at a velocity of 15 kilometers per second.

This latest analysis suggests the object responsible for the crater was closer to 20 to 25 kilometer across, traveling at a velocity of 15 to 20 kilometers per second in the moments before impact.

More:
https://www.sciencealert.com/we-might-have-underestimated-the-size-of-the-asteroid-behind-earths-largest-crater