Scientists have found a massive 315-mile-wide anomaly beneath East Antarctica. It could be the biggest impact crater ever discovered buried under 1.6 kilometers of ice.
In East Antarctica’s Wilkes Land, researchers spotted a strange dip in gravity. This “gravitational anomaly” may be the mark of a huge meteor strike one that hit Earth millions of years ago.
The structure matches craters from the Late Heavy Bombardment, a time 4 billion years ago when Earth was often hit by large space rocks. If true, this could be one of the oldest and largest impact scars on the planet.
Not all scientists agree it’s a meteor crater. Some say it could be a volcanic caldera, a sedimentary basin, or a tectonic rift. But the strong central mass (mascon) makes a space impact the most likely explanation so far.
The thick Antarctic ice sheet makes direct research impossible for now. Scientists use gravitational maps and remote sensing to study the structure but no drilling has been done.
If confirmed, this crater could reveal: A massive meteor strike in Earth’s early history Possible links to mass extinctions or climate shifts New insights into Earth’s tectonic and bombardment history
As technology improves, future missions may drill into the ice to confirm the crater’s origin. Until then, this giant structure remains one of Earth’s biggest secrets hidden deep beneath the frozen surface.