Meteorite impacts are not that uncommon actually as opposed to what one might think. Although most of them do not lead to a global-extinction (dinosaurs might disagree on this one though), they are quite far from being rare. This brings us to our question of the day; what are the biggest meteorite impacts to have happened so far?
We have put together a list of meteorite impacts that are considered the largest. Check it out below and let us know what you think of it.
Vredefort, South Africa
Vredefort crater in South Africa is the largest confirmed meteorite impact to have ever happened. It happened about 2 billion years ago and has left a crate that is about 160 kilometers wide. We can only speculate, but it definitely would have been a terrifying event.
Sudbury Basin, Ontario, Canada
This meteorite impact happened about 1.8 billion years ago. It is one of the largest meteorite impact sites to be discovered ever and is also among the oldest impact structures in the world. It has an approximated diameter of 130 kilometers. Geological surveys have managed to obtain debris from the crate over an area of about 1,600,000 square kilometers that have been thrown about 800 kilometers from the site of impact.
Chicxulub, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
This the most famous and well-known meteorite impact in the history of Earth. It has become known as the reason why dinosaurs went extinct. It has an estimated crater diameter of about 150-300 kilometers. If the larger estimates are correct, then it may very well have been bigger than Vredefort. The size of the meteorite is estimated to be between 11 and 81 kilometers.
Popigai, Siberia, Russia
This one is estimated to have hit the Earth approximately 36 billion years ago. The site is filled with impact diamonds. The crater has a diameter of about 90 kilometers, and many believe that it might have contributed to the Eocene-Oligocene extinction event.
Manicouagan, Quebec, Canada
This meteorite impact took place about 215 million years ago. The crater that was formed has an approximate diameter of 100 kilometers. The Lake Manicouagan is now present at what is left of the impact site. This particular impact crater is known as the ‘Eye of Quebec’ and can be seen from space.