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For an interactive map, start with Western University’s Impact Earth map. To verify a confirmed impact structure and follow its research references, use the University of New Brunswick’s Earth Impact Database. NASA also provides a convenient static reference table and an older downloadable visualization.
Which impact-crater resource should you use?
| Resource | Best for | Format and scope |
|---|---|---|
| Impact Earth, Western University | Exploring locations visually and filtering map layers | Interactive map with crater, deposit, and other impact-related data layers |
| Earth Impact Database, University of New Brunswick | Checking confirmed structures and finding related research | Catalog of images, publications, and abstracts about confirmed impact structures |
| NASA Johnson Space Center Earth Impact Database PDF | Quickly looking up basic structure details | Static table of names, locations, coordinates, ages, and diameters |
| NASA Goddard Verified Craters visualization | Downloading a map or media for illustration | Static visualization released in 2002; its description refers to approximately 150 verified craters |
Where can you explore crater locations on a map?
Impact Earth is the most direct starting point for visual exploration. Its map provides separate layers for hypervelocity impact craters, impact craters, and impact deposits, along with options including diameter, crater and alternate pins, a Canadian layer, and fireball and bolide data. See the Impact Earth map.
Pay attention to the selected layer: a deposit, fireball, or bolide record is not the same thing as a confirmed impact crater. The map is useful for finding and comparing plotted locations, but a visual marker alone should not be treated as confirmation of a structure.
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Where can you check a confirmed structure and its research?
The University of New Brunswick’s Earth Impact Database is the better choice when you need a catalog record and supporting literature. UNB describes it as a collection of images, publications, and abstracts from around the world about confirmed impact structures, compiled over 25 years for the scientific community and space enthusiasts. Visit the Earth Impact Database to investigate an individual structure and its associated references.
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Use the catalog and map for complementary purposes: the map helps you locate records, while the catalog and its references are more useful for checking a particular structure. Do not assume the categories or coverage of every map layer match the database’s confirmed-structure scope.
When are NASA’s crater resources useful?
NASA Johnson Space Center’s static table
The NASA Johnson Space Center PDF is handy when you want a compact listing of structure name, location, latitude, longitude, age in Ma, and diameter in kilometres. It is a static document, not a live, updating database.
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NASA Goddard’s downloadable visualization
NASA Goddard’s Verified Craters page offers downloadable image and movie files. Released on September 6, 2002, its description presents a world map with approximately 150 verified craters. That figure describes the historical visualization, not a current global count.
Why do published crater counts differ?
Counts depend on the source, date, and what it counts. For example, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum says Earth has approximately 190 confirmed impact craters and notes that the mapped examples are almost all on continental crust. Treat that as the museum’s approximate editorial figure, not a harmonized or live database total; the page’s publication date is not established in its accessible record. See the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum for its background explanation.
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For a present-day count or a claim about a particular structure, check the relevant live catalog and state which source and category you mean. Do not combine a map’s deposits, a catalog’s confirmed structures, and an older visualization’s crater markers as if they were measured under one definition or update schedule.
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