A Buried Oklahoma Crater Was Dated to the Wrong Era-and It Actually Lines Up With a Mass Extinction

Key Points:

• Researchers have revised the age of the Ames crater in Oklahoma, dating it to about 370 million years ago during the Late Devonian, rather than 470 million years ago as previously thought, placing it within the Frasnian–Famennian mass extinction period.
• This new dating challenges the earlier belief that the crater was part of the Ordovician meteor event, a period known for increased meteor impacts and significant geological effects on Earth.
• The Ames crater, approximately 9 miles in diameter, was previously considered a key feature of the Ordovician meteor event, but high-precision uranium-lead dating of zircon crystals now suggests it formed later, with strong evidence ruling out tectonic causes for the younger dates.
• While the crater's impact was not large enough to cause the Frasnian-Famennian mass extinction on its own, its timing suggests it may have contributed to the environmental stresses during this devastating marine extinction event.
• These findings provide new insights into the interplay between extraterrestrial impacts and Earth's geological and biological history, offering a refined timeline that may help clarify the causes behind major extinction events.