Meteorite that struck Scotland 990 million years ago may have brought life to land
New geological findings from Scotland have upended previous assumptions about the planet's ancient past, and hint that a colossal meteorite impact may have played a surprising role in life's first move onto land.
Scientists now believe a huge space rock slammed into what is now northwestern Scotland 990 million years ago, revising earlier estimates that placed the event at 1.2 billion years ago. The findings, published in the journal Geology, offer fresh insights into how meteorites may have helped shape Earth's early ecosystems.
The ancient impact created the Stac Fada Member, a distinctive layer of rock that has long intrigued researchers. Thanks to advanced analysis of microscopic zircon crystals within the rocks, experts were able to narrow down the timing of the impact with remarkable precision.
'These microscopic crystals recorded the exact moment of impact, with some even transforming into an incredibly rare mineral called reidite, which only forms under extreme pressures,' said lead author Chris Kirkland from Curtin University in Western Australia.
'This provided undeniable proof that a meteorite strike caused the Stac Fada deposit.'
Kirkland explained that meteor strikes partially reset the atomic clocks inside zircon crystals.
'These 'broken timepieces' are often unable to be dated, but we developed a model to reconstruct when the disturbance occurred, confirming the impact at 990 million years ago,' he said.
Although the location of the impact crater remains undiscovered, the study has offered promising new clues that could eventually pinpoint its site.
These details may ultimately lead to the discovery of the crater, giving scientists an even clearer understanding of the meteorite's role in shaping the Earth's geological landscape.
Beyond reworking the geological timeline, the discovery also opens the door to intriguing questions about the evolution of early life.
While plants are believed to have first colonised land around 470 million years ago, followed by arthropods such as insects and spiders about 425 million years ago, the first vertebrates, ancestors of humans, appeared on land roughly 400 million years ago.
But long before any of these organisms emerged, single-celled eukaryotes, the ancestors of plants, animals and fungi, had already begun venturing out of Earth's oceans.
This transition marks one of the earliest steps in the story of life on land, but it happened long before the more complex organisms such as plants and arthropods made their way onto solid ground.
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Kirkland's team found evidence of freshwater eukaryotes in the region dating back to the same time as the newly dated impact, suggesting a potential link between the two events.
This discovery adds a compelling layer to the ongoing narrative of how life evolved and adapted to the changing conditions of our planet.
'The revised dating suggests these life forms in Scotland appeared at a similar time to a meteorite impact,' Kirkland said. 'This raises fascinating questions about whether large impacts may have influenced environmental conditions in ways that affected early ecosystems.
'Understanding when meteorite impacts occurred helps us explore their potential influence on Earth's environment and the expansion of life beyond the oceans.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Daily Record
Scots schoolgirl who designed solar-powered blanket for homeless people honoured in Time Magazine
Rebecca Young features in the magazine's first-ever Girls of the Year list. A Scots schoolgirl who designed a solar-powered heated blanket to help homeless people has been named on the first-ever Time Magazine Girls of the Year list. Rebecca Young, from Glasgow, was just 11 years old when she came up with the idea after becoming concerned about people sleeping on the streets during a freezing Scottish winter. Now 12, she has been named alongside nine other girls from around the world all recognised as being young leaders inspiring communities, as part of a list aimed at celebrating and empowering girls. The Kelvinside Academy pupil described it as 'cool and very unexpected' to be among those named. She said: 'I'm honoured by the fact they wanted to include me on their Girls of the Year list and hope other kids see it and decide to do their part in helping people.' The emergency blanket is integrated into a backpack, which she created after being inspired to help rough sleepers in Glasgow. Rebecca previously entered her design in the UK Primary Engineer competition, where pupils were tasked with designing something to address a social issue. She triumphed over 70,000 other entrants to win the MacRobert Commendation Medal. She is interested in art, innovation and music, and one day hopes to pursue a career in the latter which she said 'can also help lots of people in many different ways'. Rebecca's design has resulted in 30 of the blankets being manufactured and distributed to a homeless shelter in Glasgow, with plans to make more. She and eight of the other girls on the list are featured as part of a limited-edition animated Time cover – reimagined as Lego minifigures, with each character aimed at capturing the spirit of their achievements. The collaboration followed a recent study by the Lego group of more than 32,000 parents and children across 21 countries which found 70 per cent of young women struggle to see themselves as someone who is good at building things. It also found that children were twice as likely to credit major inventions to men – with most believing that Wi-Fi (69 per cent) and the Moon landing software (68 per cent) were invented by men, even though they were pioneered by women. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Time chief executive Jessica Sibley said the list features girls aged between 12 and 17 who are 'shaping their communities with courage and purpose'. Julia Goldin, Lego group chief product and marketing officer, said: 'When girls don't see it, they don't believe it – the world risks missing out on the next big breakthrough. There's no stopping what girls can build. 'Together with Time we hope these stories will inspire a future generation of unstoppable female builders to dream big and continue making their mark on the world.'
Wales Online
4 days ago
- Wales Online
Best meteor shower of 2025 to light up skies in the northern hemisphere
Best meteor shower of 2025 to light up skies in the northern hemisphere The annual Perseids meteor shower will reach its peak on Tuesday night Meteor showers see an increase in shooting stars (Image: Daily Record) On Tuesday night, stargazers will be treated to what is considered to be one of the best meteor showers of the year as the Perseids lights up the northern hemisphere. The annual phenomenon is expected to peak at night on Tuesday, August 12, and will be visible for a couple more weeks. The event happens as the comet debris burns up in the Earth's atmosphere and lingers in space. It appears in the constellation of Perseus which is visible in the north-eastern sky and named after the Greek mythological hero. Dr Richard Parker, an astrophysicist at the University of Sheffield, explained the shower: "Each year, Earth passes through the material shed by an ancient celestial body, Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which is estimated to be well over 5bn years old – older even than Earth." He added: "Notably, the comet is the largest object that approaches Earth – but thankfully, it's not predicted to come dangerously close for thousands of years." Its next closest trip to Earth isn't until 2126 with the comet visiting the inner solar system every 133 years. From superstar gigs to cosy pubs, find out What's On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here . However, stargazers have been advised that to be within the best chance of catching a glimpse of the breath-taking display they should look towards the east-south-east in the direction of Saturn or to the north. It is also best to do this when light conditions are low but it's important to note that it may be slightly harder to spot this year. Due to the fact that August's full moon arrived over the weekend it remains rather large and bright in the sky, illuminating the night sky and therefore making it harder to catch a glimpse of the impressive spectacle. Dr Ed Bloomer, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, told The Guardian that stargazers should go out late at night and find a dark location, ideally with a clear horizon. The best times to view it are between midnight and 5.30am but beware it may then take up to half an hour for your eyes to adjust to the change in light. It's also important there aren't many clouds in the sky and according to the Met Office, much of the south east of Wales will be in luck tonight with more cloud cover on the west coast of Wales. But he explained that blink and you'll miss it, quite literally. Dr Bloomer said: "It's one of those things where you can't really spot it, turn to somebody beside you, tap them on the shoulder and try and get them to look at the same part of the sky. It's done by then. Article continues below "So in a way, it is quite a solitary thing, because you just have to sit and have your eyes open and that's it." "To maximise your chances, if you turn slightly away from Perseus, you're likely to catch them out the corner of your eye."
The Sun
4 days ago
- The Sun
Professor, 30, killed by swarm of bees that repeatedly stung her until she had a heart attack after disturbing hive
A YOUNG geology professor has sadly died after being stung by a vicious swarm of bees. Andrea del Pilar Fandiño, 30, was doing fieldwork in a part of rural Colombia when the swarm descended. 2 She was with two other colleagues at the time, one of whom managed to protect himself with a jacket. The others were horribly stung by the bees. Andrea died while being flown to a hospital in the Colombian capital Bogotá the next day. She was a professor at the Faculty of Sciences of the National University of Colombia, according to NeedToKnow. The young geologist had recently Caldas University and was studying for a postgrad degree at the National University. The horror incident took place on Tuesday, August 5. Gabriela Delgado, dean of the Faculty of Sciences at the National University, said: "It was a strange attack. "They encountered the bees without any prior warning. "They didn't hear anything, not even the typical buzzing." She and the other geologist who was stung were rushed to a medical centre in Ortega. Popular influencer couple killed in horror off-road crash in 'the beautiful mountains they loved so much' in Canada But given the severity of the attack, Andrea was due to be transferred to Bogotá the next day. However, while en route she suffered severe anaphylaxis with complications. Despite doctors' best efforts, she sadly passed away. Her colleague is still in intensive care. Following Andrea's death, a university spokesperson said: "With profound sorrow, we bid farewell to our beloved professor Andrea Fandiño Palacios, who dedicated her life with passion to geology and with love to her students, friends, and family. "Her smile, her humanity, and her unconditional love for geology forever marked those of us who had the privilege of knowing her." Diego Matiz, mayor of Ortega, told local media: "When this situation became known, all necessary protocols were activated. "The geologist was in one of the 124 villages in our municipality, a short distance from the town centre and the hospital.
