Erik Sturkell, Professor of Geophysics at the University of Gothenburg, led a team of researchers who discovered two craters in the Swedish country of Jämtland. One huge crater, with a diameter of 4.6 miles was found south of Östersund in Brunsflo and another smaller crater, with a diameter of 0.4 miles was located 9.9 miles. What’s unique about the craters is that they are both made by meteorite impacts 458 million years ago and the impacts happened at the same time. No other meteorite impacts around the world have been dated at the same exact time.
“Information from drilling operations demonstrates that identical sequences are present in the two craters, and the sediment above the impact sequences is of the same age. In other words, these are simultaneous impacts,” says Erik Sturkell. Several others meteorites have been found all around Sweden. An interesting fact is that large meteors explode and disintegrate at impact, leaving behind enormous craters, while small meteorites fall as stones. A lot of these types of stone, which are actually meteorites, were found all around Sweden in 1940.
“Around 470 million years ago, two large asteroids collided in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and many fragments were thrown off in new orbits. Many of these crashed on Earth, such as these two in Jämtland,” explained Erik Sturkell, by that time, Jämtland, was under the sea. It seems that 460 million years ago was a very dangerous place to live on earth, because of the numerous meteorite impacts. Makes you wonder when a big meteorite will hit earth again.
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