List of impact craters on Earth

This list of impact craters on Earth contains a selection of the 190 confirmed craters given in the Earth Impact Database.[1]

World map in equirectangular projection of the craters on the Earth Impact Database as of November 2017 (in the SVG file, hover over a crater to show its details)

To keep the lists manageable, only the largest craters within a time period are included. Alphabetical lists for different continents can be found under Craters by continent below.

Confirmed impact craters listed by size and age

These features were caused by the collision of meteors (consisting of large fragments of asteroids) or comets (consisting of ice, dust particles and rocky fragments) with the Earth. For eroded or buried craters, the stated diameter typically refers to the best available estimate of the original rim diameter, and may not correspond to present surface features. Time units are either in thousands (ka) or millions (Ma) of years.

10 ka or less

Less than ten thousand years old, and with a diameter of 100 m (330 ft) or more. The EID lists fewer than ten such craters, and the largest in the last 100,000 years (100 ka) is the 4.5 km (2.8 mi) Rio Cuarto crater in Argentina.[2] However, there is some uncertainty regarding its origins[3] and age, with some sources giving it as < 10 ka[2][4] while the EID gives a broader < 100 ka.[3]

The Kaali impacts (c. 2000 BC) during the Nordic Bronze Age may have influenced Estonian and Finnish mythology,[5] the Campo del Cielo (c. 2000 BC) could be in the legends of some Native American tribes,[6][7] while Henbury (c. 2200 BC) has figured in Australian Aboriginal oral traditions.[8]

Macha crater field map
One of the Kaali craters
Name Location Country Diameter
(km)		 Age
(10³ years)		 Date Coordinates
Wabar Rub' al Khali desert Saudi Arabia 000.1 < 00.2 ~1800 AD 21°30′N 50°28′E
Kaali Saaremaa Estonia 000.1 < 04.0 01500 BC 58°24′N 22°40′E
Campo del Cielo Chaco Argentina 000.1[7] < 04.0 02000 BC 27°38′S 61°42′W
Henbury Northern Territory Australia 000.2 < 04.2 02200 BC 24°34′S 133°8′E
Morasko Poznań Poland 000.1 < 05.0[9] 03000 BC 52°29′N 16°54′E
Boxhole Northern Territory Australia 000.2 < 05.4 03400 BC 22°37′S 135°12′E
Macha Sakha Republic Russia 000.3 < 07.3 05300 BC 60°6′N 117°35′E
Rio Cuarto (disputed) Córdoba Province Argentina 004.5 < 10 ?[2][4] <8000 BC 32°53′S 64°13′W
Ilumetsa Põlva County Estonia 000.08 < 06.6 <4600 BC 57°57′N 27°24′E

For the Rio Cuarto craters, 2002 research suggests they may actually be aeolian structures.[10] The EID gives a size of about 50 m (160 ft) for Campo del Cielo, but other sources quote 100 m (330 ft).[7]

10 ka to 1 Ma

From between 10 thousand years to one million years ago, and with a diameter of less than one km (0.62 mi):

Name Location Country Diameter
(km)		 Age
(10³ years)		 Coordinates
Wolfe Creek Northern Territory Australia 0.9 < 120 19°10′S 127°48′E

From between ten thousand years to one million years ago, and with a diameter of one km (0.62 mi) or more. The largest in the last one million years is the 14-kilometre (8.7 mi) Zhamanshin crater in Kazakhstan and has been described as being capable of producing a nuclear-like winter.[11]

However, the currently unknown source of the enormous Australasian strewnfield (c. 780 ka) could be a crater about 100 km (62 mi) across.[12][13]

Lonar crater, 1.8 km (1.1 mi)
Meteor Crater, 1.2 km (0.75 mi)
Tenoumer crater, 1.9 km (1.2 mi)
Name Location Country Diameter
(km)		 Age
(10³ years)		 Coordinates
Tenoumer Sahara Desert Mauritania 01.9 021 22°55′N 10°24′W
Meteor Crater Arizona United States 01.2 049 35°2′N 111°1′W
Xiuyan Xiuyan China 01.8 050 40°21′N 123°27′E
Lonar Maharashtra India 01.8 052 19°58′N 76°31′E
Agoudal[14] Atlas Mountains Morocco 03.0 105 31°59′N 5°30′W
Tswaing Pretoria Saltpan South Africa 01.1 220 25°24′S 28°5′E
Zhamanshin Kazakhstan Kazakhstan 14.0 900 ± 100 48°24′N 60°58′E

1 Ma to 10 Ma
Elgygytgyn, 18 km (11 mi)
Bosumtwi, 10 km (6.2 mi)

From between 1 and 10 million years ago, and with a diameter of 5 km or more. If uncertainties regarding its age are resolved, then the largest in the last 10 million years would be the 52-kilometre (32 mi) Karakul crater which is listed in EID with an age of less than 5 Ma, or the Pliocene. The large but apparently craterless Eltanin impact (2.5 Ma) into the Pacific Ocean has been suggested as contributing to the glaciations and cooling during the Pliocene.[15]

Name Location Country Diameter
(km)		 Age
(Mio. years)		 Coordinates
Bosumtwi Ashanti Ghana 0010 ;01.1 6°30′N 1°25′W
Elgygytgyn Chukotka Autonomous Okrug Russia 0018 ;03.5 67°30′N 172°00′E
Bigach Kazakhstan Kazakhstan 0008 ;05 48°34′N 82°1′E
Karla Tatarstan Russia 0010 ;05 54°55′N 48°2′E
Karakul Pamir Mountains Tajikistan 0052 < 5 ?[16][17] 39°1′N 73°27′E

10 Ma or more

Craters with diameter 20 km (12 mi) or more are all older than 10 Ma, except possibly Karakul, 52 km (32 mi), whose age is uncertain.

There are more than forty craters of such size. The largest two within the last hundred million years have been linked to two extinction events: Chicxulub for the Cretaceous–Paleogene and the Popigai impact for the Eocene–Oligocene extinction event.[18]

Vredefort crater, 300 km (190 mi)
Sudbury Basin, 130 km (81 mi)
Chicxulub crater, 150 km (93 mi)
Popigai crater, 100 km (62 mi)
Manicouagan crater, 100 km (62 mi)
Acraman crater, 85 to 90 km (53 to 56 mi)
Charlevoix crater, 54 km (34 mi)
Siljan Ring, 52 km (32 mi)
Nördlinger Ries, 24 km (15 mi)
Name Location Country Diameter (km) Age (million years) Coordinates
Vredefort Free State South Africa 300 2023 27°0′S 27°30′E
Chicxulub Yucatán Mexico 150 66 21°20′N 89°30′W
Sudbury Ontario Canada 130 1849 46°36′N 81°11′W
Popigai Siberia Russia 90 35.7 71°39′N 111°11′E
Manicouagan Quebec Canada 100 215 51°23′N 68°42′W
Acraman South Australia Australia 90 580 32°1′S 135°27′E
Morokweng Kalahari Desert South Africa 70 145 26°28′S 23°32′E
Kara Nenetsia Russia 65 70 69°6′N 64°9′E
Beaverhead Idaho and Montana United States 60 600 44°15′N 114°0′W
Tookoonooka Queensland Australia 55 112–133 27°7′S 142°50′E
Charlevoix Quebec Canada 54 342 47°32′N 70°18′W
Siljan Ring Dalarna Sweden 52 377 61°2′N 14°52′E
Karakul Pamir Mountains Tajikistan 52 5? 25? 39°1′N 73°27′E
Montagnais Nova Scotia Canada 45 50.5 42°53′N 64°13′W
Araguainha Central Brazil Brazil 40 244.4 16°47′S 52°59′W
Chesapeake Bay Virginia United States 40 35 37°17′N 76°1′W
Mjølnir Barents Sea Norway 40 142 73°48′N 29°40′E
Puchezh-Katunki Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Russia 40 167 56°58′N 43°43′E
Saint Martin Manitoba Canada 40 227 51°47′N 98°32′W
Woodleigh Western Australia Australia 40 364 26°3′S 114°40′E
Carswell Saskatchewan Canada 39 115 58°27′N 109°30′W
Clearwater West Quebec Canada 36 290 56°13′N 74°30′W
Manson Iowa United States 35 74 42°35′N 94°33′W
Slate Islands Ontario Canada 30 450 48°40′N 87°0′W
Yarrabubba Western Australia Australia 30 2229 27°10′S 118°50′E
Keurusselkä Western Finland Finland 30 1400–1500 62°8′N 24°36′E
Shoemaker Western Australia Australia 30 1630? 25°52′S 120°53′E
Mistastin Newfoundland and Labrador Canada 28 36.4 55°53′N 63°18′W
Clearwater East Quebec Canada 26 290 56°4′N 74°6′W
Kamensk Southern Federal District Russia 25 49 48°21′N 40°30′E
Steen River Alberta Canada 25 91 59°30′N 117°38′W
Strangways Northern Territory Australia 25 646 15°12′S 133°35′E
Tunnunik Northwest Territories Canada 25 130–450 72°28′N 113°58′W
Boltysh Kirovohrad Oblast Ukraine 24 65.17 48°54′N 32°15′E
Nördlinger Ries Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg Germany 24 14.3–14.5 48°53′N 10°34′E
Presqu'île Quebec Canada 24 less than 500 49°43′N 74°48′W
Haughton Nunavut Canada 23 39 75°23′N 89°40′W
Lappajärvi Western Finland Finland 23 77.85 63°12′N 23°42′E
Rochechouart France France 23 206.92 ± 0.32[19] 45°49′N 0°47′E
Gosses Bluff Northern Territory Australia 22 142.5 23°49′S 132°18′E
Amelia Creek Northern Territory Australia 20 600–1660 20°55′S 134°50′E
Logancha Siberia Russia 20 40 65°31′N 95°56′E
Obolon' Poltava Oblast Ukraine 20 169 49°35′N 32°55′E
Dhala[20] Madhya Pradesh India 11[20] 1700-2100 25°18′N 78°8′E

Large unconfirmed craters

The largest unconfirmed craters 200 km (120 mi) or more are significant not only for their size, but also for the possible coeval events associated with them. For example, the Wilkes Land crater has been connected to the massive Permian–Triassic extinction event.[21] The sortable table has been arranged by diameter.

Name Location Country Diameter (km) Age (million years) Coordinates
Mistassini-Otish impact crater[22] Quebec Canada 600 2100 50°00′N 71°00′W
Australian impact structure Northern Territory Australia 600 545
Shiva crater offshore of India India 500 65
Wilkes Land crater Wilkes Land Antarctica 480–500 250–500
Nastapoka arc Nunavut/Quebec Canada 450 unknown 57°00′N 78°50′W
Czech Crater Central Europe Czech Republic 300–500 2000 49°28′N 14°24′E
Ishim impact structure[23] Akmola Region Kazakhstan 300 460–430[24] 52°0′N 69°0′E
Bedout offshore of Western Australia Australia 250 250
Falkland (Malvinas) Plateau anomaly[25][26][27] offshore of South America Falkland Islands 250 250 (uncertain, estimated to be Late Palaeozoic) 51°0′S 62°0′W
East Warburton Basin Southern Australia Australia 200+ 300–360

Craters by continent

As of 2017, the Earth Impact Database (EID) contains 190 confirmed craters.[28] The table below is arranged by the continent's percentage of the Earth's land area, and where Asian and Russian craters are grouped together per EID convention. The global distribution of known impact structures apparently shows a surprising asymmetry,[29] with the small but well-funded European continent having a large percentage of confirmed craters. It is suggested this situation is an artifact, highlighting the importance of intensifying research in less studied areas like Antarctica, South America and elsewhere.[29]

Asia
Americas
Africa
Europe
Australia

Clicking on the links in the column "Continent" will give a list of craters for that continent.

ContinentContinent's %
of Earth's
land area		Continent's %
of the 190
known craters		Number
of craters
Asia and Russia30%16%31
Africa20%11%20
North America16%32%60
South America12%6%11
Antarctica9%0%0
Europe7%22%41
Australia6%14%27
Total100%100%190

See also

References
  1. "Earth Impact Database". Archived from the original on 2013-06-25. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  2. Bland, Phil A.; de Souza Filho, C. R.; Timothy Jull, A. J.; Kelley, Simon P.; Hough, Robert Michael; Artemieva, N. A.; Pierazzo, E.; Coniglio, J.; Pinotti, Lucio; Evers, V.; Kearsley, Anton; (2002); "A possible tektite strewn field in the Argentinian Pampa", Science, volume 296, issue 5570, pp. 1109–12
  3. "Rio Cuarto". Earth Impact Database. Planetary and Space Science Centre University of New Brunswick Fredericton. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
  4. Schultz, Peter H.; Lianza, Ruben E.; (1992) "Recent grazing impacts on the Earth recorded in the Rio Cuarto crater field, Argentina", Nature 355, pp. 234–37 (16 January 1992)
  5. Haas, Ain; Peekna, Andres; Walker, Robert E. "Echoes of Ancient Cataclysms in the Baltic Sea" (PDF). Electronic Journal of Folklore. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
  6. Benítez, Giménez; López, Alejandro M.; Mammana, Luis A. "Meteorites of Campo del Cielo: Impact on the indian culture".
  7. Bobrowsky, Peter T.; Rickman, Hans (2007). Comet/asteroid impacts and human society: an interdisciplinary approach. Springer. pp. 30–31. ISBN 978-3-540-32709-7.
  8. Hamacher, Duane W.; Goldsmith, John. "Aboriginal oral traditions of Australian impact craters" (PDF).
  9. Stankowski, Wojciech; Raukas, Anto; Bluszcz, Andrzej; Fedorowicz, Stanisław. "Luminescence dating of the Morasko (Poland), Kaali, Ilumetsa, and Tsõõrikmäe (Estonia) meteorite craters" (PDF).
  10. Cione, Alberto L.; et al. (2002). "Putative Meteoritic Craters in Río Cuarto (Central Argentina) Interpreted as Eolian Structures". Earth, Moon, and Planets. 91 (1): 9–24. Bibcode:2002EM&P...91....9C. doi:10.1023/A:1021209417252. S2CID 122467947.
  11. Essay "Impact Cratering on Earth", based on: Grieve, Richard A. F. (1990). "Impact cratering on the Earth". Scientific American. 262 (4): 66–73. Bibcode:1990SciAm.262d..66G. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0490-66.
  12. Povenmire, Harold; Liu, W.; Xianlin, Luo; (1999) "Australasian tektites found in Guangxi Province, China", in Proceedings of the 30th Annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Houston, March 1999
  13. Glass, Billy P.; Pizzuto, James E.; (1994) "Geographic variation in Australasian microtektite concentrations: Implications concerning the location and size of the source crater", Journal of Geophysical Research, vol. 99, no. E9, 19075–81, September 1994
  14. "Agoudal". Earth Impact Database. Planetary and Space Science Centre University of New Brunswick Fredericton. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
  15. University of New South Wales (19 September 2012). "Did a Pacific Ocean meteor trigger the Ice Age?". Retrieved 8 October 2012.
  16. "Kara-Kul". Earth Impact Database. Planetary and Space Science Centre University of New Brunswick Fredericton. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  17. Gurov, Eugene P.; Gurova, H. P.; Rakitskaya, R. B.; Yamnichenko, A. Yu. (1993). "The Karakul depression in Pamirs – the first impact structure in central Asia" (PDF). Lunar and Planetary Science. XXIV: 591–92. Bibcode:1993LPI....24..591G.
  18. "Russia's Popigai Meteor Crash Linked to Mass Extinction". 13 June 2014.
  19. Cohen, Benjamin E.; Mark, Darren F.; Lee, Martin R.; Simpson, Sarah L. (2017-08-01). "A new high-precision 40Ar/39Ar age for the Rochechouart impact structure: At least 5 Ma older than the Triassic–Jurassic boundary". Meteoritics & Planetary Science. 52 (8): 1600–11. Bibcode:2017M&PS...52.1600C. doi:10.1111/maps.12880. ISSN 1945-5100.
  20. "Meteoritical Bulletin: Entry for Dhala". www.lpi.usra.edu. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  21. Gorder, Pam Frost (1 June 2006). "Big Bang in Antarctica – Killer Crater Found Under Ice". Ohio State University Research News. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016.
  22. Genest, Serge; Robert, Francine; "The Mistassini-Otish Impact Structure, Northern Quebec, Canada: An Update", Proceedings of the 80th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society, 2017
  23. Dachille, Frank (1976). "Frequency of the formation of large terrestrial impact craters". Meteoritics. 11: 270. Bibcode:1976Metic..11..270D.
  24. Zeylik, B. S.; Seytmuratova, E. Yu; (1974); "A meteorite-impact structure in central Kazakhstan and its magmatic-ore controlling role", Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR, 1, pp. 167–70
  25. Rocca, Maximiliano C. L.; Presser, Jaime Leonardo Báez; (2015) "A possible new very large impact structure in Malvinas Islands", Historia Natural, Tercera Series, Volumen 5(2)
  26. Rocca, Maximiliano C. L.; Rampino, Michael R.; Presser, Jaime Leonardo Báez (2017). "Geophysical evidence for a large impact structure on the Falkland (Malvinas) Plateau". Terra Nova. 29 (4): 233–37. Bibcode:2017TeNov..29..233R. doi:10.1111/ter.12269.
  27. Osborne, Hannah (5 May 2017). "Crater Potentially Linked to the Biggest Mass Extinction Event in Earth's History is Discovered". Newsweek Tech & Science.
  28. "Earth Impact Database". University of New Brunswick. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  29. Prezzi, Claudia B.; Orgeira, María Julia; Acevedo, Rogelio D.; Ponce, Juan Federico; Martinez, Oscar; Rabassa, Jorge O.; Corbella, Hugo; Vásquez, Carlos; González-Guillot, Mauricio; Subías, Ignacio; (2011); "Geophysical characterization of two circular structures at Bajada del Diablo (Patagonia, Argentina): Indication of impact origin", Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, vol. 192, pp. 21–34
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