Under the ice, a massive crater



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Researchers using specialized radar penetrating the ice have located a massive impact crater buried under a layer of Greenland ice of half a mile thick. The crater is 31 km wide, making it one of the 25 largest known craters on Earth.

Scientists believe that the crater is the result of a collision with an iron meteorite of at least one kilometer in diameter – an impact capable of melting rocks, as well as an important part of the ice cap, potentially causing sea level rise and climatic disturbances around the world. . The date of impact is however unknown – it could have been as recent as 12,000 years ago or as long as three million years ago.

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Annalee Newitz joins Ira to talk about this discovery and other science-related articles of the week, including information on orangutan thought processes, violence in the world of Neanderthal, and an overview of Mars InSight mission landing later this month.

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