More than 150 million years ago, in the middle of the Jurassic period and at the same time that dinosaurs dominated the Earth, a meteorite fell from the sky, crashed into a mountain almost 1,500 meters high in what is now northwest China and He broke it in half. Since then, the mountain has two peaks instead of one. Now, for the first time, a team of researchers from the Center for Advanced Research in High Pressure Science and Technology in Shanghai has revealed the details of that impact and how this curious structure was formed. In an article recently published in 'Matter and Radiation at Extremes', researchers explain that the strange crater, located in Jilin province, near China's border with North Korea, has a diameter of 1.6 km, which which reveals the magnitude of the impact, which left two mountain peaks, known as Front Baijifeng and Rear Baijifeng. Studying 'heaven stones' Under the direction of Ming Chen and Ho-Kwang Mao, the team was attracted to a series of strange sandstone rocks, of unknown origin, known locally as 'heaven stones'. A name that, in light of the results of the study, turned out to be most appropriate. "We set out to discover the true story behind this accumulation of rock fragments," the authors write. "Our research has revealed for the first time the presence of an impact structure on Baijifeng Mountain." The rock fragments are made up of sandstone and granite, which in turn contain small quartz minerals. When heat and pressure are applied, quartz can deform in specific patterns. These deformations, the researchers explain, are "widely accepted as diagnostic evidence of shock metamorphism and terrestrial impact structures." In other words, 'shock metamorphism' in quartz may indicate meteorite impact sites. «During the formation of the impact crater – says the article – a large amount of rock would have been excavated and expelled to form this new geological structure. "The collision would have greatly changed the target's original terrain, forming two new peaks, Front Baijifeng and Rear Baijifeng." According to the authors, the granite in the crater was formed between 150 and 172 million years ago, during the Jurassic Period. Unfortunately, the exact moment of the collision is unknown, the first known to have occurred on a mountaintop. To find out, more research will be needed. MORE INFORMATION news Yes Have we found a 'crack' in the structure of the Universe? news No The occupants of a cave in Granada were already weaving baskets 9,500 years ago, among the oldest in the world "The Baijifeng cirque-shaped depression - the scientists conclude - is a well-preserved impact structure with unique morphological characteristics, and its location on top of a high mountain creates a spectacular natural landscape.