Buzz
Around the world, there are hundreds of impact craters, but fewer than 50 qualify as 'Large' (over 20 km in diameter). For instance, Barringer crater in Arizona (35°2′N 111°1′W) is one of the most famous and best-preserved, measuring just over 1 km in diameter. This crater was formed by a nickel-iron meteor about 50 meters (54 yards) wide. This size pales in comparison to the vast craters featured in this list. Coordinates are provided for each site, so you can explore them on Google Earth. However, don’t expect to see their full grandeur—most of these craters have eroded over time and can only be properly observed through advanced scanners and specialized imaging.
10. Kara Crater 69°6′N 64°9′E
The Kara impact crater, located on Russia’s Yugorsky Peninsula, is an enormous structure. Estimated to be about 65 km (40.3 miles) in diameter and over 70 million years old, the crater was once believed to be over 120 km (74.5 miles) across. However, much of it has eroded, and what remains is buried beneath layers of sediment accumulated over millions of years, leaving little visible evidence on the surface.
9. Morokweng Crater 26°28′S 23°32′E
The Morokweng Crater, also known as the Morkweng impact structure, is a vast meteor crater hidden beneath the Kalahari Desert near Morokweng, South Africa. It is believed that the crater was created by a 3 km (1.8 miles) wide asteroid, which resulted in a crater at least 70 km (43.8 miles) across. In 2006, a team of scientists drilling into the site uncovered a fragment of the original asteroid, about 25 cm (9.8 inches) in diameter, located approximately 770 meters (842 yards) below the surface. They also found several smaller fragments nearby. This discovery was remarkable, as drilling on large impact structures had never yielded such fragments, and it was previously thought that most large asteroids vaporized upon impact.
8. Puchezh-Katunki 56°58′N 43°43′E
Puchezh-Katunki is a meteor crater located in Russia's Chkalousky District. The crater spans 80 km (49.7 miles) in diameter and is thought to be 167 million years old, dating back to the Jurassic period. It isn't visible on the surface, instead being recognized through variations in vegetation and terrain. This crater is one of the few from this era that isn’t linked to any extinction event.
7. Acraman Crater 32°1′S 135°27′E
Acraman Crater is a heavily eroded impact crater situated in southern Australia, marked by Lake Acraman, a perfectly round lake formed at the site of the impact. The crater spans an estimated 90 km (55.9 miles) in diameter and is believed to have formed around 580 million years ago. The estimated size suggests an energy release equivalent to 5.2 x 10⁶ megatons of TNT. Traces of this massive collision can be found as far as 300 km (186.4 miles) east of the crater.
6. Chesapeake Bay Impact Crater 37°17′N 76°1′W
The Chesapeake Bay impact crater was formed by a bolide (a crater-forming projectile) that struck the eastern shore of North America around 85 million years ago. It remains one of the best-preserved “wet” craters and is the largest in the United States, with a diameter of about 90 km (55.9 miles). Over time, sediments accumulated over the crater’s debris, forming Chesapeake Bay as we know it today. The initial impact caused widespread devastation, sending millions of liters of water, sediment, and broken rock miles into the atmosphere. As it descended, it triggered a tsunami so powerful that it may have reached the Blue Ridge Mountain range.
5. Popigai Crater 71°39′N 111°11′E
The Popigai Crater in Siberia, Russia, ranks alongside the Manicouagan Crater as the 4th largest verified impact crater on Earth, measuring nearly 100 km (62 miles) in diameter. This impact occurred more than 35 million years ago. Geologists had long been intrigued by Popigai before any research expeditions were launched, due to the area's restriction from diamond mining activities. Finally, in 1997, investigations began. The bolide that caused the impact was identified as either an 8 km (5 miles) diameter chondrite asteroid or a 5 km (3.1 miles) diameter stony asteroid. The shock pressure from the impact instantly converted graphite in the area within a 13.6 km (8.4 miles) radius into diamonds.
4. Manicouagan Crater 51°23′N 68°42′W
The Manicouagan Crater, located in Quebec, Canada, is one of the planet's oldest impact craters, estimated to be over 215 million years old. It was formed by a 5 km (3.1 miles) wide asteroid. The crater features a 100 km (60 miles) diameter multi-ring structure, with a prominent circular lake about 70 km (43.4 miles) in diameter at its center. This site also represents the largest crater in a group of structures believed to have formed from a series of impacts.
3. Vredefort Dome 27°0′S 27°30′E
Vredefort Crater, also known as the Vredefort Dome, holds the title of the largest verified impact crater on Earth. It is located near the town of Vredefort in the Free State Province of South Africa. The asteroid that created this crater is believed to be the largest to strike Earth in the last 4 billion years, measuring over 15 km (9.3 miles) in diameter. The resulting crater spans just over 300 km (186.4 miles), and its immense size has earned it the status of a world heritage site. Initially thought to be the result of volcanic activity, it was later determined in 1990 that a colossal bolide caused the impact, as evidence of shatter cones could be found miles away. The crater now faces potential threats from mining industries, as mineral deposits on its edges may lead to large-scale exploitation, endangering this natural wonder.
2. Sudbury Basin 46°36′N 81°11′W
The Sudbury Basin, also referred to as the Sudbury Structure, is a massive impact site located in Ontario, Canada. It is the second-largest confirmed impact crater on Earth and one of the oldest known structures. The original crater is thought to have been much larger than the current structure, which measures about 200 km (120 miles) in diameter today. The asteroid that caused this impact is believed to have been over 10 km (6.2 miles) in diameter and struck the Earth approximately 1.849 billion years ago. The collision was so violent that debris was scattered across an area of 1,600,000 km², with fragments found as far as 800 km (497 miles) away in Minnesota.
The Sudbury impact was so intense that debris was scattered over 1,600,000 km², and rock fragments have been found in places as far as Minnesota, more than 800 km (497 miles) from the impact site.
1. Chicxulub Crater 21°20′N 89°30′W
The Chicxulub Crater is a massive, ancient impact structure located beneath the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. It spans over 180 km (110 miles) in diameter, making it the third-largest confirmed impact crater on Earth. The asteroid or bolide that caused this crater is believed to have been at least 10 km (6 miles) in diameter. Dating of the surrounding rocks suggests that the crater is about 65 million years old, dating back to the end of the Cretaceous period. After nearly two decades of research across various disciplines, scientists have concluded that the Chicxulub impact was the likely trigger for the mass extinction event at the K-T boundary, which included the extinction of the dinosaurs between the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods.
+ Wilkes Land Crater 70°S 120°E
Beneath the icy expanse of Antarctica lies a massive, yet unverified, impact crater. In May 2006, a team of scientists led by Ralph von Frese used gravity data and NASA satellite imagery to detect a concentration of mass spanning 300 km (200 miles). Further investigation revealed that this mass was located at the center of a vast, ring-like formation, visible through radar imaging beneath the ice. This discovery suggests the presence of an impact structure over 480 km (300 miles) in diameter, likely formed by a bolide at least 55 km (34.5 miles) across. This colossal crater is thought to be linked to the largest mass extinction event in Earth’s history, which occurred around 250 million years ago. However, due to the thick ice layers covering the crater, no physical samples have been collected, leaving the crater's status unverified as the largest impact crater on Earth.
