NASA Satellite Captures Stunning Image Of 6900-Years-Old Luna Crater In Gujarat
Luna crater in Gujarat's Kutch district captured by Landsat 8 satellite. NASA: Crater contains characteristic signatures of a meteorite impact.
How does the giant Luna crater in Gujarat's Kutch district look like from the sky? The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has released a recent photo of the Luna crater captured by the Landsat 8 satellite, stating that ¡°it contains the characteristic signatures of a meteorite impact.¡±
NASA
NASA releases image of Luna crater
According to NASA, the image was captured by Landsat 8 satellite in February 2024.
¡°You've heard of Clair de Lune, but what about Crater de Luna? The #Landsat 8 satellite captured this image of a meteorite impact site¡ªLuna crater¡ªlocated in India's Gujarat state in the Banni Plains grassland in February 2024,¡± NASA said in a post on X.
You've heard of Clair de Lune, but what about crater de Luna? ?
¡ª NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) April 27, 2024
The #Landsat 8 satellite captured this image of a meteorite impact site¡ªLuna crater¡ªlocated in India's Gujarat state in the Banni Plains grassland in February 2024. https://t.co/EnV3LbCPsM pic.twitter.com/Z7xvSwZ4Xq
Characteristics of meteorite impact
"Scientists in India had suspected, but not confirmed, that an object from outer space made this mark on the landscape. Now, a geochemical analysis of the structure has revealed it contains the characteristic signatures of a meteorite impact," NASA stated.
The crater measures approximately 1.8 kilometers across, and its outer rim rises about 6 meters above the crater floor.
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What radiocarbon dating found
In May 2022 researchers had collected samples from the structure and studies found that the rocks and sediments are uncommon in natural settings on Earth.
These rare minerals form under the extremely high temperatures and pressures generated when a meteorite hits the ground. The researchers also measured anomalously high concentrations of the rare element iridium, consistent with findings at other impact craters.
"Based on the radiocarbon dating of plant remnants contained in silt at the site, the team determined the impact occurred about 6,900 years ago," NASA noted.
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Recent studies in India
However, a recent study in India had suggested that the Luna structure could have been formed from the impact of a meteorite that crashed over four thousand years ago.
They found that the Luna crater could have been formed as the result of the largest meteorite to have hit Earth in the last 50,000 years.
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