The Jinlin crater, measuring 900 meters across, formed during Earth’s current geological epoch.
A recently identified and exceptionally well-preserved impact crater is offering scientists new insight into how objects from space have struck Earth over time.
In a study published in Matter and Radiation at Extremes by AIP Publishing, researchers from Shanghai and Guangzhou, China, describe the Jinlin crater, an ancient impact site situated on a hillside and sealed within a thick layer of weathered granite.
This crater, located in Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province, is among only about 200 confirmed impact sites on the planet and is considered quite young in geological terms. Based on local soil erosion data, scientists estimate it formed during the early-to-mid Holocene (our current geological epoch that began roughly 11,700 years ago at the end of the last ice age). Measuring 900 meters (about 2,950 feet) across, Jinlin is the largest known impact crater from this period, surpassing Russia’s 300-meter (roughly 985-foot) Macha crater, which previously held that distinction.
“This discovery shows that the scale of impacts of small extraterrestrial objects on the Earth in the Holocene is far greater than previously recorded,” said author Ming Chen.
In this instance, the “small” object that struck Earth was identified as a meteorite instead of a comet. A comet of similar size would have produced a crater measuring at least 10 kilometers across. The researchers have not yet established whether the meteorite’s composition was primarily iron or stone.
Evidence Hidden in Granite
One of the most surprising traits of this crater is how well-preserved it is, especially given the region’s monsoons, heavy rainfall, and high humidity — all conditions that accelerate erosion. Within the granite layers that help to protect and preserve its impact structure, the researchers found many pieces of quartz with unique microfeatures, called planar deformation features, that geologists use as evidence of some type of impacts.
“On the Earth, the formation of planar deformation features in quartz is only from the intense shockwaves generated by celestial body impacts, and its formation pressure ranges from 10 to 35 gigapascals, which is a shock effect that cannot be produced by any geological process of the Earth itself,” said Chen.
It is generally believed that throughout Earth’s history, every point on its surface has faced roughly equal odds of being struck by an extraterrestrial object. However, geological differences mean that the historical footprints of these impacts eroded at varying rates, and some have fully disappeared. This makes the Jinlin Crater’s discovery particularly significant.
“The impact crater is a true record of Earth’s impact history,” said Chen. “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.”
Reference: “Jinlin crater, Guangdong Province, China: Impact origin confirmed” by Ming Chen, Dayong Tan, Wenge Yang, Ho-Kwang Mao, Xiande Xie, Feng Yin and Jinfu Shu, 15 October 2025, Matter and Radiation at Extremes.
DOI: 10.1063/5.0301625
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