Could Gujarat’s Luna crater be 6,900 years old? NASA deciphers

Impact craters on our planet are a relative rarity, with fewer than 200 structures from around the world confirmed in the Earth Impact Database.

The Luna crater is near the remains of an ancient Harappan settlement in Gujarat, but it is uncertain whether the impact predates the arrival of humans. (NASA)

Next to the the vast expanses of the salt desert in Gujarat’s Kutch, a conspicuous circular feature has evoked curiosity for decades now. New findings suggest that it is a product of a meteorite impact.

A recent geochemical analysis has found out that the structure contains characteristic signatures of a meteorite impact.

According to NASA’s Earth Observatory, the newly studied Luna impact crater — named for its proximity to a village of the same name — measures approximately 1.8 kilometers (1.1 miles) across, while its outer rim rises about 6 meters (20 feet) above the crater floor.

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Radiocarbon dating of plant remnants contained in silt at the site indicates that a meteorite impact occurred about 6,900 years ago.

The Luna structure is situated in a grassland called the Banni Plains, which remain submerged for most of the year, and the Luna crater often contains water. On collecting samples of rocks and sediments during the short dry period in May 2022, scientists detected several minerals that 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 the findings at other impact craters.

Impact craters on our planet are relatively rare, with fewer than 200 structures from around the world confirmed in the Earth Impact Database.

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