[Rockhounds] Massive 370-Mile Crater Discovery Challenges Existing Geological Theories

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

A potential crater over 370 miles (600 kilometers) wide in central
Australia may transform our knowledge of Earth’s geological past.

Researcher Daniel Connelly and Virginia Commonwealth University’s Arif
Sikder, Ph.D., believe they have found evidence to support the existence of
MAPCIS – the Massive Australian Precambrian-Cambrian Impact Structure –
which is a nonconcentric complex crater that could provide new insights
into the geological and biological evolution of our planet.

“Working on the MAPCIS project has been an incredible journey,” said
Sikder, an associate professor in the Center for Environmental Studies, a
unit of VCU Life Sciences. “The data we’ve gathered offers a unique glimpse
into the forces that have shaped our planet, and I’m excited about the
future research this discovery will inspire.”

This September, Connelly will make a presentation in Anaheim, California,
at Connects 2024, the Geological Society of America’s annual meeting. In
August, he presented at the 37th International Geological Congress 2024 in
Busan, South Korea. According to researchers, the impact occurred at the
end of the Ediacaran period, within the Neoproterozoic Era, which spans
from 1 billion to 538.8 million years ago.

https://scitechdaily.com/earths-lost-history-massive-370-mile-crater-discovery-challenges-existing-geological-theories/