A newly discovered impact crater in southern China is challenging our understanding of how often Earth gets struck by space rocks. This remarkably well-preserved crater, named Jinlin, is nestled on a hillside in Guangdong Province and measures an impressive 900 meters across—making it the largest known impact structure from the Holocene epoch, which began just over 11,700 years ago.
Before this find, the Macha crater in Russia held the title for the biggest Holocene impact site at only 300 meters wide. Jinlin dwarfs its predecessor, indicating that smaller celestial objects might have slammed into Earth more frequently during recent geological history than previously thought.
“This discovery shows that the scale of impacts of small extraterrestrial objects on Earth in the Holocene is far greater than previously recorded,” said Ming Chen, lead author of a study published in Matter and Radiation at Extremes. The impactor itself wasn’t a massive comet – likely a meteorite – but still packed enough punch to leave this significant mark.
The crater’s existence was even more surprising given its location. Guangdong Province experiences heavy monsoons, relentless rainfall, and high humidity—all factors that typically accelerate erosion and erase geological features over time. Yet, Jinlin survived thanks to a protective layer of granite which shielded it from the elements.
Embedded within this granite shield, researchers discovered quartz fragments bearing microscopic scars called planar deformation features. These distinctive marks are created solely by the immense shockwaves generated during meteorite impacts. The pressure required to form these features – ranging from 10 to 35 gigapascals – is impossible to achieve through any natural geological processes on Earth.
The significance of this discovery extends beyond its sheer size. While scientists generally assume that all points on Earth have an equal chance of being hit by space rocks over time, the uneven wear and tear of erosion means those impacts aren’t evenly distributed in our geological record. Some craters simply vanish entirely, leaving us with a fragmented picture of past impacts.
“The impact crater is a true record of Earth’s impact history,” Chen explains. “The discovery of the Earth impact crater can provide us with a more objective basis for understanding the distribution, geological evolution, and impact history and regulation of small extraterrestrial bodies.”
Jinlin gives scientists a clearer window into these past collisions and helps refine our understanding of how often – and how dramatically – our planet has been shaped by visitors from space.
