These 10 Massive Craters Show How Close We've Come!

6. Popigai Crater (Russia)

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Among the biggest and most fascinating impact structures on Earth, the Popigai Crater is found in Siberia, Russia. The fourth biggest confirmed impact feature on Earth, formed roughly 35.7 million years ago during the late Eocene era, this huge crater has a circumference of roughly 100 kilometres (62 miles). An asteroid thought to be between 5-8 kilometres (3-5 miles) in size slammed the Earth with terrible power, permanently changing the Siberian terrain. The Popigai Crater distinguishes itself from many other impact sites not just in size but also in geological features and possible economic value. The effects took place in a region with a convoluted geological past involving old crystalline basement rocks and carbon-rich rocks. Combining this geological environment with the harsh conditions produced by the impact produced an amazing resource: impact diamonds. Unlike conventional diamonds created deep under the Earth, the Popigai impact diamonds—also referred to as "impact metamorphic diamonds" or "yakutites—are unlike Rather, these diamonds were produced instantly when the great heat and pressure of the collision changed pre-existing graphite in the target rocks into diamond. These impact diamonds are interesting for their remarkable physical characteristics, which might make them attractive for industrial uses including great hardness and abrasion resistance. The 1970s saw great interest in the finding of these impact diamonds; some estimates place the Popigai Crater's industrial diamond count in trillions of carats. Nonetheless, the crater's distant location and geopolitical considerations have prevented significant use of this resource thus far. Research and debate on the possibility of diamond mining at Popigai continue never-ending. From a scientific standpoint, the Popigai Crater provides a plethora of data on significant impact events and their geology. The crater's quite young age and good condition of preservation make it a perfect location for investigating impact mechanisms and how they affect the crust of the Earth. Shock metamorphic characteristics ranging from shatter cones to planar deformation structures in quartz to several forms of impact melts and breccia have been found in Popigai by researchers. These characteristics provide essential information to grasp the mechanics of major impacts and the harsh conditions they produce. Near the Eocene-Oligocene border, the timing of the Popigai impact has led some scientists to look at whether it would have contributed to the observed trend in climatic cooling over this period. Although the Popigai influence by itself was probably not sufficient to bring about global climate change, it could have added to the complex environmental dynamics of the period by perhaps interacting with other elements including altered ocean currents and atmospheric composition. Still a site of great scientific interest today, the Popigai Crater draws scientists from several disciplines including geology, planetary science, and materials science. Its isolated position in the Siberian tundra limits major development or tourism, therefore helping to retain its special qualities for scientific investigation. As scientists investigate how life has recolonised and adapted to this drastically changed environment over millions of years, the crater and its environs offer also insightful analysis of the ecology of impact structures. The Popigai Crater is an amazing evidence of the force of cosmic events and their capacity to modify the geology of our planet, therefore affecting its temperature and maybe influence its composition and generate special resources. This amazing impact structure promises to provide more understanding of Earth's past and the mechanisms that have moulded our planet over millions of years as research goes on.