Oldest crater on Earth formed due to comet impact

Researchers have found that a comet was responsible for creating one of the oldest craters on Earth in Sudbury Basin area located in Ontario, Canada.

This is one of the largest known impact craters on Earth, as well as one of the oldest due to its formation more than 1.8 billion years ago.

Researchers took samples from the site and subjected them to a detailed geochemical analysis.

There was a chondritic platinum group element signature within the crater's fallback deposits, showed the study.

"Our analysis revealed a chondritic platinum group element signature within the crater's fallback deposits. It seems that a comet with a chondritic refractory component may have created the world-famous Sudbury basin," said Joe Petrus, lead author of the Terra Nova paper.

Sudbury basin, located on the Canadian Shield in the city of Greater Sudbury, Ontario is a major geologic structure and is the second-largest known impact crater or astrobleme on Earth.