A Rare Ureilite Meteorite Possibly Created Madhya Pradesh’s Famous Dhala Impact Crater, New Study Suggests

Source: The post is based on the article “A Rare Ureilite Meteorite Possibly Created Madhya Pradesh’s Famous Dhala Impact Crater, New Study Suggests”  published in Hindustan Times on 23rd July 2023

What is the News?

A team of scientists have found that the Dhala crater formed when an extraordinarily rare and ancient meteorite known as Ureilite crashed into India.

Note: In India, there are three meteor impact craters found. These are 1) Ramgarh in Rajasthan 2) Lonar in Maharashtra and 3) Dhala in MP

What is Dhala Crater?

Dhala crater is located in Madhya Pradesh. It has a diameter of 11 kilometers.

It is Asia’s largest and world’s seventh-largest impact crater.

What are Ureilites?

Ureilites belong to a scarce class of primitive meteorites, making up only a small fraction of all meteorites found on Earth. Comprising mostly olivine and pyroxene silicate rocks.

Ureilites also contain less than 10% of carbon (either in the form of diamond or graphite), metal sulphides and a few fine-grained silicates.

How was Dhala Crater formed?

Dhala crater was formed from an ancient meteorite known as Ureilite. The Ureilite was approximately one kilometre in diameter and crashed into Earth’s atmosphere at an extraordinary speed of 15 km/s about 2500 to 1700 million years ago.

Significance: With these findings, scientists hope to learn more about the rare meteorite crater and its potential role in Earth’s early history, including its impact on bringing water to the planet and the development of life.