Welcome to Impact Earth
In the 20th century, the idea that asteroids and comets have struck, and continue to strike, planetary bodies throughout geological time, has revolutionized our understanding of Solar System history and evolution. It is now widely recognized that impact cratering is one of the most important and fundamental geological process in the Solar System. Indeed, impact craters are one of the most common geological landforms on the majority of the rocky terrestrial planets, asteroids, and many of the rocky and icy moons of the inner and outer Solar System. Once thought to be purely a planetary science “problem”, it is also now apparent that impact events have profoundly affected the origin and evolution of Earth, its environment, and the habitability of our planet.
The goal of Impact Earth is to provide a holistic view of meteorite impacts, from fireballs, to meteorite falls, to the largest crater-forming events. We highlight the role that extraterrestrial impacts have played in the evolution of Earth, of life itself, and in producing economic resources, such as world-class deposits of the Sudbury structure, Ontario. In doing so, we aim to promote the public understanding and interest in meteorite impacts, provide resources for educators, and serve as a resource for the research community by hosting the Impact Crater Database.
Explore the science behind the most violent geologic process in the solar system
Impact Earth was funded by grants from the NSERC PromoScience program and the Canadian Geological Foundation and support from the Department of Earth Sciences and the Faculty of Science at Western University. This initiative is the brain child of Dr. Gordon “Oz” Osinski, a world renowned expert on impact cratering.