Curtin University researchers have discovered the world's oldest known meteorite impact crater, which could significantly redefine our understanding of the origins of life and how our planet was shaped.

Scientists with a new theory about how Earth’s early continents formed predicted where a superold impact crater should be—then found it

The discovery bolsters the theory that meteorite impacts played an important role in Earth's early geological history

A rocky stretch in Western Australia's Pilbara, near Earth's earliest-confirmed lifeforms, was hit by a meteorite about 3.5 billion years ago.

World’s oldest impact crater found, rewriting Earth’s ancient history. Researchers from Curtin University found the granddaddy of all craters in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, clocking in at 3.5 billion years old. This meteorite smash, marked by funky "shatter cones," was a… pic.twitter.com/gM8FtszD4a

It suggests that the world was previously hit by huge impacts that we may not know about, and the craters left behind might have been the place that life on Earth began. “We know large impacts were common in the early solar system from looking at the Moon,

The find could hold implications for understanding the origin of life here on Earth.

We have discovered the oldest meteorite impact crater on Earth, in the very heart of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The crater formed more than 3.5 billion years ago, making it the oldest known by more than a billion years.

Scientists have discovered the world's oldest known meteorite impact crater, which could reshape understanding of the origins of life and Earth itself.