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Jinlin Crater: China's Largest Asteroid Impact Site Discovered

10/25/2025

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Summary

Story summary

The Jinlin crater in Guangdong, China, formed from an asteroid impact about 10,000 years ago.
The crater measures 900 meters in diameter and is the largest Earth impact structure since the Holocene.
Researchers from the China Academy of Engineering Physics estimate the impact released energy of 600,000 tonnes of TNT.
The findings were published in Matter and Radiation at Extremes, confirming Jinlin as the first impact site in southern China.

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Story summary

The Jinlin crater in Guangdong, China, formed from an asteroid impact about 10,000 years ago.
The crater measures 900 meters in diameter and is the largest Earth impact structure since the Holocene.
Researchers from the China Academy of Engineering Physics estimate the impact released energy of 600,000 tonnes of TNT.
The findings were published in Matter and Radiation at Extremes, confirming Jinlin as the first impact site in southern China.