NASA confirms meteor crash created Luna crater, estimates impact happened 6,900 years ago

The orbiting satelliteof NASA Earth Observatory recorded an image of Luna craterwhichislocatedin the Kutch region of the Indian state of Gujarat.

The US Space Agency's official site revealed that in a recent geochemical analysis,itwas foundthat“it contains the characteristic signatures of a meteorite impact.”

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According to the report, the OLI (Operational Land Imager)capturedthe footprint of the Luna impact crateron the Landsat 8 satellite on February 24.

The new development gainedthe spotlight after a zoomed-in picture of the craterwas postedby NASA on X.

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NASA, sharing the image, wrote,“You'veheard of Clair de Lune, but what about Crater de Luna? The #Landsat 8 satellite captured this image of a meteorite impact site—Luna crater—located inIndia'sGujarat state in the Banni Plains grassland in February 2024.”

Meanwhile, it stated in its report,“In the Kutch district of northwest India, a vast desert where saltis harvestedin colourful rectangular ponds stretches to the Arabian Sea. Scientists in India had suspected, but not confirmed, that an object from outer space made this mark on the landscape.Now,a geochemical analysis of the structure has revealed it contains the characteristic signatures of a meteorite impact.”

Crater impacts very rare on Earth, says space agency

The agency stated that it isvery rareto find impact of craters on Earthandless than 200 of them are known to be thereacross the globe.

NASA said that various meteorites, whichjourneyed throughEarth'satmosphere,crashed into the water bodies.

Speaking about the Luna crater, NASA said,“The footprint of the newly studied Luna impact crater—named for its proximity to a village of the same name—is visible in this image, acquired by the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on the Landsat 8 satellite on February 24, 2024.”

The crater measures approximately 1.8 kilometres (1.1 miles) in width, and the outer rim is slightly more than 6 meters (20 feet) above the crater floor.

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“The Luna structure is situated inIndia'sGujarat state ina grassland called the Banni Plains.The Great Rann of Kutch, an expansive white salt desert, lies just to the north. Parts of these low-lying areasare submergedfor much of the year, and the Luna crater often contains water. Researchers took advantage of a dry period in May 2022 to collect samplesfromthroughout the structure," NASA added.

The space agency stated they carried out the radiocarbon dating of plant remnants - which were present in silt at the site - and found that the impact occurred nearly 6,900 years ago.

(With inputs from agencies)