Scientists have identified the Jinlin crater, a bowl-shaped impact depression about 900 meters across in China, reported online on Oct 15 in Matter and Radiation at Extremes. The authors suggest an early–mid Holocene age (roughly 11,700–6,000 years ago) based on weathering-rate analyses, but several experts caution that this estimate is inferred rather than directly measured. Direct radiometric dating — for example, argon isotope analysis — would provide a firmer age but requires extensive sampling and lab work. Additional fieldwork and lab studies are needed to confirm the crater’s age and impact origin.
Scientists Identify 900-Meter Jinlin Meteorite Crater in China — Age Remains Uncertain
Scientists have identified the Jinlin crater, a bowl-shaped impact depression about 900 meters across in China, reported online on Oct 15 in Matter and Radiation at Extremes. The authors suggest an early–mid Holocene age (roughly 11,700–6,000 years ago) based on weathering-rate analyses, but several experts caution that this estimate is inferred rather than directly measured. Direct radiometric dating — for example, argon isotope analysis — would provide a firmer age but requires extensive sampling and lab work. Additional fieldwork and lab studies are needed to confirm the crater’s age and impact origin.
09:38 AM, 11/15/2025Science
Massive Jinlin crater discovered in China; Holocene age suggested but not yet confirmed
Researchers report the discovery of a large bowl-shaped asteroid-impact depression in China, now named the Jinlin crater. The feature measures about 900 meters across — more than eight times the length of an American football field — and was described in a paper published online on October 15 in the journal Matter and Radiation at Extremes.
The research team proposes the structure most likely formed in the early to middle Holocene (roughly 11,700 to 6,000 years ago) based on analyses of chemical and physical weathering rates. However, several outside experts urge caution: those weathering-based age estimates are indirect and can carry large uncertainties.
“The Holocene age estimate is only inferred and not measured, so the age is very uncertain,” says Mark Boslough, a research professor at the University of New Mexico who was not involved in the study.
Geologist Steven Jaret, also not part of the study, notes that the authors presented the Holocene timing as a likely interpretation supported by their data but agreed that more work is needed to pin down an exact date. The team measured rates of chemical and physical breakdown of the local granite to infer an age — an approach that can be informative but is more error-prone than direct radiometric dating.
A more definitive method would be radiometric dating of minerals in the crater rocks, such as argon isotope techniques, but those analyses are time-consuming, require careful sampling and laboratory work, and often need additional funding and justification before they are undertaken. Scientific American has contacted the paper's authors for comment.
Aerial drone images accompanying the study show a panoramic view of the Jinlin crater with the approximate rim marked and an inset of the crater floor, which the team reports contains a mix of weathered granite soil and angular granite fragments consistent with an impact origin.
What’s next?
To confirm the impact origin and to establish a firmer age, investigators will likely pursue targeted field sampling and radiometric analyses. Until such direct dating is completed, the Jinlin crater remains a compelling candidate for a relatively young terrestrial impact feature, but its precise age and broader environmental effects (if any) are still unresolved.