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Zhamanshin Crater's Age Doubled, Impacted Earth's Climate

4/15/2026

45 9 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

The Zhamanshin impact crater in Kazakhstan is now thought to be about 900,000 years old.
The crater has a diameter of approximately 26.5 km and is likely a multi-ringed crater, roughly double previous estimates.
The larger size implies significantly higher impact energy that may have affected Earth's climate and biological systems during the Mid-Pleistocene Transition.
The outer rings are obscured by loess and erosion, complicating assessments.

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Story summary

The Zhamanshin impact crater in Kazakhstan is now thought to be about 900,000 years old.
The crater has a diameter of approximately 26.5 km and is likely a multi-ringed crater, roughly double previous estimates.
The larger size implies significantly higher impact energy that may have affected Earth's climate and biological systems during the Mid-Pleistocene Transition.
The outer rings are obscured by loess and erosion, complicating assessments.