Photo: Meteorite Impact Reformulated Earth's Crust, Study Shows

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Shatter cones, such as the ones pictured above at a site in Sudbury, Ontario, offer compelling evidence that a large object impacted Earth. These coned-shape fractures form only when strong shock waves pass through rock, such as when a large meteorite impacts or after a nuclear explosion. A coin is included in the photo to show scale.

Photograph by Nick Eyles

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