24/06/2026 04:29 - Internacionales
The history of our planet has been rewritten following a remarkable discovery by a team of researchers in Australia. As reported by major outlets like Clarín and Infobae, scientists have documented the scar of an asteroid impact that occurred 3.024 billion years ago, making it the oldest crater ever found on Earth.
This catastrophic event took place during a geological era known as the Mesoarchean. For context, this was a time when Earth was a hostile world, devoid of the life we see today, and the continents we know were barely beginning to form. The impact did not just leave a physical scar; it had unexpected consequences for the mineral composition of the entire region.
The headline is as attractive as it is scientifically curious. The term 'gold rain' refers to the deposition process of precious metals following a high-energy impact.
The mechanism works like this:
| Location | Australia |
| Age | 3.024 billion years |
| Significance | Oldest crater on Earth |
| Consequence | Gold and mineral deposits |
| Geological Context | Formation of continents |
This finding offers scientists a rare glimpse into primitive Earth. 3 billion years ago, the planet's configuration was vastly different; modern continents were forming, and life, if present, was limited to simple, unicellular organisms.
Reports from La Razón emphasize that this meteorite collided 'when continents were still forming,' suggesting these massive cosmic impacts played a fundamental role not only in shaping the landscape but also in distributing the natural resources we utilize today.
Sources: Clarín, Infobae, La Razón, Nación.
Alfredo S. Quiroga
