China's New Meteor Impact Crater 'Yilan' Might Be the Largest to Date

China was discovered with a crescent-shaped trench that might be the largest impact crater ever preserved on the planet. According to the study, the impact was estimated to occur sometime in the recent 100,000 years.

Before discovering the crater in Northeast China, only a single meteorite hole was found in the country. Based on the research conducted by NASA Earth Observatory, the first trench was uncovered in the Xiuyan country, located at the coastal province of Liaoning.

Yilan Impact Crater Caused by Meteorite

Scientists presented in July 2021 the new geological formation at the mountain range of Xing'an. The researchers who examined the study said that the structure was indeed a result of space rock that hit Earth.

The trench is known as the Yilan crater, with a measure of about 1.85 kilometers in diameter. Based on the carbon dating of the hole's remnants, the Yilan crater most likely manifested following an impact that took place between 46,000 to 53,000 years ago.

NASA said that the Yilan crater site is full of organic lake sediments and charcoal compounds. The authors of the study recovered these samples through the help of drillcore unearthed from the crater's center part, Forbes reported.

The thick layers of lake and swamp sediments measure over 100 meters. Beneath the series of sediments is another layer composed of brecciated granite that spans 320 meters of depth. This layer is formed with a collection of rock fragments pressed together through time. The same rocks hold evidence of an ancient meteorite strike in the area.

Crescent-Shaped Meteorite Full of Meteorite Strike, Other Half Missing

Because of the impact, the fragmented materials from their original spots were melted and recrystallized. Particularly, the granites from the site were heated high amount of temperature in a short period of time, then immediately cooled off afterward, reports Live Science.

While the majority of the rock fragments came in contact with the melting process, several pieces escaped. This group obtained 'shocked' quartz, which are minerals that shattered in various patterns during the impact.

Glass pieces with teardrop shapes were also detected from the crater. These materials contain holes that are remnants of the gas bubbles. Through the features of the glass shards, NASA said that the crash certainly caused a high intensity of heat.

The Yilan impact crater is almost round but was observed to have a crescent shape from the top view due to its missing southern rim. In October 2021, the Landsat-8 satellite captured an image of the crater from space. NASA said that further investigation is needed to determine the reason behind the absence of its other half.

Arizona State holds the current largest impact crater. The trench is less than 100,000 years old, appearing between 49,000 to 50,000 years ago. It scales to 1.2 kilometers in diameter. The study was published in the journal Meteoritics and Planetary Science, titled "Yilan crater, China: Evidence for an origin by meteorite impact."

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