Ames meteor crater in Oklahoma is 100 million years younger than thought

New analysis of zircon crystals reveals the buried impact structure formed 370 million years ago, decoupling it from the Ordovician bombardment event.

FTMQ Science, written by our newsroom4 October 2026 at 17:260 views

A buried meteor crater in Oklahoma is nearly 100 million years younger than previously estimated, according to reports by ScienceDaily and Earth.com. Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin analyzed zircon crystals from the Ames impact structure and determined that the event occurred approximately 370 million years ago. [1][2][4]

The revised age indicates that the Ames impact was not part of the Ordovician bombardment, a spike in impact events once thought to be linked to a ring of debris surrounding Earth. ScienceDaily reported that the revised timeline instead aligns the impact closely with a major mass extinction that devastated marine life during the Late Devonian period. [1]

The Earth Impact Database records more than 194 confirmed impact structures on Earth. The new age determination alters how geologists interpret the timing and potential environmental effects of ancient cosmic collisions. [1][7]

Zircon crystal analysis places the Ames meteor impact in Oklahoma at approximately 370 million years ago.
The new timing makes the crater nearly 100 million years younger than scientists previously calculated.
The findings rule out the Ames impact as part of the Ordovician bombardment.

Sources

Every paragraph above points to the numbered items it rests on. Read the originals here.

[1]A meteor hit Oklahoma 100 million years later than scientists thoughtScienceDaily, 5h ago (the report this story comes from)
[2]Ames crater in Oklahoma found to be nearly 100 million years younger — ScienceDailyUA.NEWS, 4h ago
[3]Trump’s motorcade neared 100 mph en route to Oklahoma after helicopter, airplane ruled outThe Hill, 2d ago
[4]Oklahoma meteor crater formed nearly 100 million years later than scientists thoughtEarth.com, 22h ago
[5]Trump's motorcade hit nearly 100 mph going to Oklahoma after storm prevented flightWCIV, 1d ago
[6]Trump's motorcade hit nearly 100 mph going to Oklahoma after storm prevented flightKBOI, 1d ago

Background

[7]List of impact structures on Earth on Wikipedia
[8]Oklahoma on Grokipedia

Our newsroom writes these reports with the help of software, from the 8 sources listed and nothing else, and checks them against those sources. Facts can still be wrong or move on; the originals are the record. Spotted a mistake? Write to daniel@monsterkong.com.

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