Buried object with ‘magnetic anomalies’ may be Utah-sized asteroid crater, study says

Deep underneath the flat plains of the Australian outback, a massive object lies buried.

The hulking structure, which has “magnetic anomalies,” is likely a colossal asteroid crater, according to a study published in the journal Tectonophysics.

If it is indeed a crater, it would be the largest ever found on Earth.

Scientists determined the object, known as the Deniliquin Structure, was likely a fallen space rock by conducting an analysis of nearby geophysical evidence.

They used core samples from the ground and magnetic data from the air to help paint a clearer picture of the mysterious structure.

They found it “has all the features that would be expected from a large-scale impact structure,” Andrew Glikson, one of the study authors, wrote in The Conversation.

“For instance, magnetic readings of the area reveal a symmetrical rippling pattern in the crust around the structure’s core,” Glikson, a professor at the University of New South Wales, said. “This was likely produced during the impact as extremely high temperatures created intense magnetic forces.”

Using their geophysical data, they also determined the underground object has a minimum diameter of 273 miles, making it wider than the state of Utah.

That would mean it is far bigger than South Africa’s roughly 186-mile-wide Vredefort impact structure, considered to be the biggest in the world, Glikson said. He estimated the crater to be about 445 million years old and said the asteroid may have caused a mass extinction event.

The Australian continent is home to 30 known craters, the oldest of which date back over 1 billion years, according to Australian Indigenous Astronomy.