A hidden asteroid crater under Oklahoma could be connected to one of Earth's major mass extinctions

Key Points:

• The ancient Ames crater in Oklahoma, previously thought to be about 467 million years old, has been redated to approximately 370 million years old, linking it to the Late Devonian mass extinction rather than the Ordovician Meteor Event.
• The new age estimate was determined by analyzing zircon crystals formed during the impact, using uranium-lead dating techniques and advanced imaging methods like cathodoluminescence and electron backscatter diffraction.
• The earlier age estimate was based on conodont fossil teeth found in the rock, which are now believed to have been present before the impact and mixed into the site during crater formation.
• While the Ames impact alone likely did not cause the Late Devonian extinction, it may have contributed alongside other factors such as oxygen depletion, super-volcanism, or nearby supernova events.
• The crater, buried under 9,000 feet of sedimentary rock deposited when Oklahoma was a shallow sea, has been a productive source of oil and natural gas since its discovery in 1991.