Dating a Small Impact Crater: An Age of Kaali Crater (Estonia) Based on Charcoal Emplaced Within Proximal Ejecta

The estimates of the age of the Kaali impact structure (Saaremaa Island, Estonia) provided by different authors vary by as much as 6000years, ranging from similar to 6400 to similar to 400 before current era (BCE). In this study, a new age is obtained based on C-14 dating charred plant material within the proximal ejecta blanket, which makes it directly related to the impact structure, and not susceptible to potential reservoir effects. Our results show that the Kaali crater was most probably formed shortly after 1530-1450 BCE (3237 +/- 10 C-14 yr BP). Saaremaa was already inhabited when the bolide hit the Earth, thus, the crater-forming event was probably witnessed by humans. There is, however, no evidence that this event caused significant change in the material culture (e.g., known archeological artifacts) or patterns of human habitation on Saaremaa.