According to scientists, this was probably one of the largest cosmic catastrophes in the solar system’s history.’ And it occurred in SWEDEN as twin asteroids slammed into Oestersund and Malingen 458 million years ago.
The discovery was made by the Centre for Astrobiology in Madrid after scientists carried out drilling into two impact craters – the 4.7 mile (7.5km) Lockne crater and a 0.4 miles (700 metre) crater at nearby Malingen – found in central Sweden.
The ancient smash-up occurred after a 120-mile (200km) asteroid broke up, scattering large chunks of rock, which later crossed Earth’s orbit.
The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, backs up long-standing suspicions that these craters, just 9.9 miles (16 km) apart, were caused by a ‘doublet’, an extremely rare double whammy caused by asteroids travelling in pairs.
[…] Learn how twin asteroids impacted Sweden in one of the largest Solar System’s cosmic catastrophes … […]