Araguainha crater, Impact crater in Goiás, Brazil.
Araguainha crater is an impact structure spanning around 40 kilometers across the border between Mato Grosso and Goiás states. The landscape displays concentric ridges and a raised granite core that defines the basin created by the ancient collision.
The crater formed roughly 255 million years ago when a meteorite struck what was then a shallow sea covering the region. Scientists confirmed the impact structure in 1973 after identifying shatter cones and distinctive quartz formations within the rock layers.
Geologists and researchers from Brazilian universities regularly conduct field studies at the site to understand Earth's geological transformations.
Access requires traveling unpaved roads from either Goiânia or Cuiabá, with the towns of Araguainha and Ponte Branca serving as starting points. Exploring this remote location demands a sturdy vehicle suited for simple roads and advance planning.
The impact event coincided with the end-Permian extinction, which wiped out most life forms on the planet at that time. This temporal alignment makes the site valuable for studying connections between meteorite strikes and major biological shifts in Earth's history.
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