Oklahoma’s Ames impact crater is redated to about 370 million years old

Research indicates that the Ames impact structure may have formed during the Late Devonian period. This finding challenges earlier beliefs connecting the structure to the Ordovician Meteor Event. Scientists utilized radioisotopic dating on zircon and plagioclase from impacted granite for their study. The zircon analysis revealed a maximum age of nearly 370 million years. These results may link the impact event to significant extinction events of that era.

In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers have re-dated the Ames impact structure to approximately 370 million years ago, bringing it in line with a notable extinction event in Earth's geology. Initial dating based on fossil records suggested an earlier timeframe, but through enhanced zircon crystal dating techniques, scientists found a more accurate estimate that may transform our understanding of historical meteor impacts across North America.

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.