Possibility of huge Structure buried under Austaralia
Hidden beneath the expansive Australian landmass, a colossal subterranean secret might be lurking, according to recent research by geologist Andrew Glikson. In an intriguing essay for The Conversation, Glikson unveils compelling evidence pointing towards the existence of a monumental asteroid crater beneath the continent, potentially surpassing any known impact structure on Earth.
Referred to as the Deniliquin Structure, Glikson’s study, published in the journal Tectonophysics, suggests an astonishing diameter of over 320 miles. This discovery would dwarf the currently largest confirmed impact crater, the Vredefort Crater in South Africa, which spans approximately 100 miles, and even the renowned Chicxulub crater believed to have caused the extinction of dinosaurs.
Gilkson emphasizes that much of Earth’s history of asteroid bombardment remains hidden from view. The Deniliquin structure was initially proposed by Tony Yeates in the late 1990s based on magnetic patterns. A subsequent analysis completed in 2020 supported the existence of a substantial structure beneath southern New South Wales, although definitive proof of its origin as an impact crater was lacking.
Explaining the crater’s formation, Glikson notes that an asteroid impact gives rise to an elevated central core within the crater, similar to how a water droplet splashes upward in a pool after a pebble is dropped. Over millions of years, this central uplifted dome can erode and lose prominence. Moreover, the structure might be concealed by sediment or even consumed by the collision of tectonic plates, where one plate is forced beneath another.
Several other telling signs point towards the Deniliquin structure being an asteroid crater, including symmetrical ripples in the crust caused by the intense heat of impact and “radial faults” commonly found in other impact sites.
Despite the compelling clues, the bulk of the evidence collected on the Deniliquin structure is confined to the surface. Glikson underscores the necessity of deep drilling to attain conclusive “proof of impact.”
Glikson’s latest research proposes that the asteroid impact responsible for the crater occurred around 445 million years ago, coinciding with the Late Ordovician mass extinction event, which resulted in the loss of 85 percent of Earth’s life forms. This magnitude of impact far surpasses even the notorious Chicxulub event that caused the demise of the dinosaurs.
In contemplating the enormity of the space rock that gave rise to the Deniliquin structure, one can only imagine the colossal scale of this ancient cosmic collision.
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