A video showcasing an incredible view of a meteorite site formed around 50,000 years ago has gone viral on TikTok.
The footage was captured by a hiker on TikTok known as @blackhikingqueen and has amassed over 819,000 views since it was shared on December 9 last month.
A note overlaid on the video says "Did you know the world's best preserved meteor crater is located in Arizona?" The footage was captured at the Meteor Crater Natural Landmark, according to the location shared with the post.
The clip shows a panoramic view of the vast hollow landscape of the crater site under a bright blue sky, with clouds shown along the horizon in the distance.
A caption shared with the post says "I've never seen anything like it before," noting that there is a museum and coffee shop available at the site, while the entry fee includes a tour of the site.
Alanna Lecher, an associate professor from Florida's Lynn University, told Newsweek that "what makes Meteor Crater so special is that it's in great condition. Since 70 percent of the Earth is covered by the ocean, most asteroids end up in the ocean, leaving no trace behind for us to see. Other asteroids that hit land have their craters erased by erosion from rain, growing plants and other natural processes."
Located just minutes from Interstate 40 and the old Route 66 near the city of Winslow in northern Arizona, Meteor Crater is "the world's best-preserved meteorite impact site on Earth," says the Visit Arizona, the website of the Arizona Office of Tourism.
Meteors—or "shooting stars"—are the "visible paths of meteoroids that have entered the Earth's atmosphere at high velocities," explains NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS).
A meteoroid is an asteroid or comet fragment that orbits the Sun and has an approximate size between 10 microns and a meter or so, according to the CNEOS.
Found in Arizona's high desert, Meteor Crater was formed from a collision that hit America's southwest region around 50,000 years ago "with the energy of more than 20 million tons of TNT," Visit Arizona notes.
Lecher, whose area of focus is "biogeochemisty," which looks at how humans, biology, and geology alter the chemical cycles of the Earth, told Newsweek: "Since Meteor Crater is in a relatively dry area with little vegetation growth, it looks relatively the same as it did when the dust settled from its impact approximately 50,000 years ago.
"Now people can visit this amazing site in Arizona and be impressed by not only its unique look but also its size at 0.75 miles across and 600 feet deep," the professor added.
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.
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