Image: Three Billion Year Old Impact Crater Found in Iceland

The image above is an artist's interpretation of how a large meteorite crashing into the sea might have looked at the first stage of impact. CREDIT: Carsten Egestal Thuesen, GEUS View full size image

Evidence of a 3 billion year old impact crater - the result of a massive asteroid or comet collision - was found near the Maniitsoq region of West Greenland. The crater was discovered by a team of scientists from Cardiff, the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) in Copenhagen, Lund University in Sweden and the Institute of Planetary Science in Moscow. The scientists say the impact happened so long ago that no obvious crater could be seen. However, several layers below the surface, the shock of the collision melted and collapsed minerals exposed to the extreme heat. 

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