Bedout, off the northwestern coast of Australia, is a large depression in the ocean basin approximately 200 km across.

Some scientists speculate that Bedout might be the result of a large bolide impact that occurred around 250 million years ago; a large impact event during that time frame could account for the Permian-Triassic extinction event. Sediment samples appear to match the date of the extinction event. Also, the shocked quartz patterns at the site appear to be consistent with bolide impacts; however, skeptics contend that the shape of the depression is inconsistent with bolide impacts; instead, the depression might be explained by other scenarios, such as an oddity in the earth's structure. In addition, iridium anomalies, a feature associated with massive bolide impacts, have not been found. Continuing research could yield more clues in the years to come.

External link

• Evidence of meteor impact found off Australian coast