A meteor hit Oklahoma 100 million years later than scientists thought

A meteor crater buried beneath Oklahoma has turned out to be nearly 100 million years younger than scientists thought. Zircon crystals show the Ames impact occurred about 370 million years ago, meaning it was not part of the mysterious Ordovician bombardment once linked to a possible ring of debris around Earth. Instead, the impact coincided closely with a major mass extinction that devastated marine life.

A meteor hit Oklahoma 100 million years later than scientists thought. Beneath the town of Ames, Oklahoma, lies a meteor impact structure that stretches for miles underground. Layers of sediment now cover the crater, but it remains significant both scientifically and economically.

The Ames impact structure is also a major producer of oil and gas. A Crater Long Linked to an Ancient Meteor Event For years, the Ames crater was thought to belong to a cluster of major meteor impacts across North America dating to roughly 467.5 million years ago. That period is known as the Ordovician Meteor Event.