One of Earth's Youngest Impact Craters: The Henbury Craters
Around 5,000 years ago, a meteorite struck central Australia, carving the Henbury crater field into ancient Proterozoic rock south of Alice Springs. This rare and remarkably young meteorite impact site preserves multiple craters formed when an iron meteorite fragmented before hitting the ground within human history. The Henbury craters offer one of the clearest examples on Earth of a recent asteroid impact, combining geological evidence, preserved meteorite fragments, and Indigenous oral traditions that describe fire falling from the sky. Today, Henbury stands as one of the youngest confirmed meteorite impact sites on the planet and a powerful reminder that Earth remains vulnerable to objects from space.
