The Wolfe Creek Crater
In the remote Kimberley lies a vast, nearly perfect crater. The Jaru people have their own story of how it was made.
What was reported
Wolfe Creek Crater, in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, is a huge round bowl about 880 metres across, its floor filled with sand and trees. It was seen by surveyors from the air in 1947, but the Jaru people have long known it as Kandimalal.
Jaru stories describe the crater's creation in the Dreaming, linked to the movements of great beings across the land.
Explanations offered
Scientists found that it was made by an iron meteorite that struck around 120,000 years ago, scattering fragments of iron that have since rusted into the rock. It is one of the best-preserved meteorite craters in the world, and is now a national park.
- When
- Formed about 120,000 years ago
- Where
- Kimberley, Western Australia
- Witnesses
- The Jaru people; scientists
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.