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Nevada State Route 375 was officially designated as the Extraterrestial Highway in a nod to rumors of otherworldly activity, but the desert road offers plenty of more grounded attractions.
abandoned

Nevada's Extraterrestrial Highway Is Full of Earthly Wonders, Too

Explore a catastrophic space rock strike, unique flora and fauna, and millennia-old rock art on this famous stretch of desert road.
Matthew Malinowski August 8, 2023
The crater as seen in February
Gypsum, Colorado

Dotsero Crater

Colorado's only active volcano last erupted around 4,000 years ago.
The calm waters of McGreevy Harbor, in the Slate Islands, belie a violent meteorite strike 450 million years ago that led to the archipelago's formation.
meteorites

These Tranquil Canadian Islands Are Remnants of a Violent Space Rock Impact

Lake Superior's Slate Islands are home to what's likely the world's largest shatter cone, evidence of an explosive event 450 million years ago.
Demetria Dickinson September 20, 2022
Looking due east across the crater; vehicle for scale.
Duckwater, Nevada

Meteorite Crater

Despite the name, it's unclear if this small depression in northern Nye County was actually caused by falling space debris.
Looking northeasterly along Big Soda Lake.
Fallon, Nevada

Soda Lakes

Two craters, which probably erupted within the last 1,500 years and are now filled by alkaline lakes, represent Nevada's youngest known volcanic activity.
Permanently Closed
Wetumpka crater
Wetumpka, Alabama

Wetumpka Impact Crater

One of almost 200 confirmed impact craters in the entire world, untouched for tens of millions of years.
Lac Salé
Bangoua Kouni, Comoros

Lac Salé

Legend says this remote, “bottomless” lake was created by a curse.
A scientist searches for tell-tale zircons in Western Greenland.
meteorites

When Is a Crater Not a Crater?

There's no punchline, this massive geological structure in Greenland just probably isn't a crater.
Robin George Andrews March 19, 2021
The asteroid that led to a mass extinction 66 million years ago likely struck the Earth at a very high speed—around 12.5 miles per second—and at the deadliest possible angle.
dinosaurs

What a Buried Crater in Mexico Says About the Asteroid That Doomed the Dinosaurs

And why the scars left by meteoritic impacts tell us about life, the universe, and everything.
Luna Shyr June 8, 2020
Amguid crater
In Amguel, Algeria

Amguid Crater

One of the best-preserved impact craters on the planet is located in the middle of the Sahara Desert.
Mystery Craters.
South Kolan, Australia

Mystery Craters

The 25-million-year-old cavities have perplexed people for decades.
Shatter cones in the Santa Fe impact structure.
Santa Fe, New Mexico

Santa Fe Shatter Cones

The shattered remnants of a meteor that struck Santa Fe more than a billion years ago.
Tswaing Crater.
Soshanguve, South Africa

Tswaing Meteorite Crater

An ancient impact crater on the outskirts of Pretoria.
Gosse Bluff.
Namatjira, Australia

Gosse Bluff

A spectacular impact crater in the rugged heart of Central Australia.
The Lochnagar Crater is visible from space, as a little black dot near the town of Albert.
military history

This Century-Old Wartime Crater Is Still Visible From Space

The massive Lochnagar Crater, as seen from a satellite.
Jessica Leigh Hester November 12, 2018
Some of Charon's newly named features.
space exploration

There's Now a Space Mountain Named for Octavia Butler

It's on Pluto's moon, Charon, which also boasts landscape features that honor Stanley Kubrick and Dorothy Gale.
Cara Giaimo April 12, 2018
Painted Dunes from the top of the adjacent cinder cone.
Old Station, California

Painted Dunes

Sunset-colored dunes of volcanic ash make taking a poor photo impossible.
Rincon de Parangueo, Mexico

Rincón de Parangueo Crater

A dark tunnel leads to a striking white crater that seems to be from another planet.