In Kazakhstan, there are places where space has quite literally left its mark. Meteorites once struck here, carving out massive craters. Some are clearly visible on satellite images; others lie hidden beneath grass and soil but all of them hint at the scale of ancient cosmic catastrophes.

In this article, we’ll take you on an expedition to four officially confirmed meteorite craters in Kazakhstan. We’ll explore when and how they formed and why one of them may have triggered something close to a planetary “nuclear winter.”

Meteorite Craters Explained

A meteorite crater is a bowl-shaped depression left after a meteorite, asteroid, or comet crashes into Earth. The impact releases an immense amount of energy sometimes comparable to a nuclear explosion.

Kazakhstan is home to four officially recognized meteorite craters, all listed in the international Earth Impact Database. Each is a dramatic chapter in our planet’s geological history.

1. Zhamanshin – Kazakhstan’s Most Powerful Impact

Location: Aktobe Region, 100 km (62 mi) northeast of the town of Shalkar
Diameter: 14 km (8.7 mi)
Age: ~900,000 years (Pleistocene)

Zhamanshin is a titan among Central Asia’s craters. When the meteorite hit, the resulting explosion released energy equivalent to 1 billion tons of TNT – roughly 47,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki. The blast likely sent clouds of dust and soot into the atmosphere, potentially blocking sunlight and cooling the planet. Some researchers believe it triggered a brief, localized “nuclear winter” – hundreds of thousands of years before nuclear weapons even existed.

Tektites (natural glass formed when rock melts under intense heat) are still found at the site. Zhamanshin is so well-preserved that it’s used for scientific expeditions and geophysical training. Today, it’s a protected geological reserve, and exporting tektites from the area is strictly prohibited.

But it's not just cosmic relics that lie here. Around 250 million years ago, this was seabed. You can still find fossilized shark teeth, mollusk imprints, and belemnite shells there.

2. Shiyli – The Ancient Bullseye

Location: Aktobe Region, 20 km (12.4 mi) southeast of Jurun village, Mugaljar District
Diameter: 5.5 km (3.4 mi)
Age: ~46 million years (Eocene)

Shiyli is the oldest crater on our list and still remarkably well-preserved. From Google Maps or a drone, you can easily make out its ring-shaped structure. Satellite data reveals three concentric circles, making the crater resemble a giant bullseye stamped into the Earth.

Back when the meteorite fell, this region wasn’t dry land, it was ocean. The impact was absorbed by water, acting like a giant shock absorber. That’s why Shiyli lacks the telltale glassy minerals usually formed during high-temperature impacts.

The crater is now buried under layers of sedimentary rock, making it a treasure trove for paleontologists. It may have significantly altered the local ecosystem during the Eocene, a time of rapid mammal evolution

3. Bigach – An Impact Lost in the Landscape

Location: Abay Region, south of Bigash village, Kokpekty District
Diameter: 8 km (5 mi)
Age: ~5 million years (Pliocene)

At first glance, it’s just an ordinary steppe plain. But from space, NASA satellite images reveal a nearly perfect ring etched into the landscape.

Though heavily eroded, the crater’s origin is clear. Geologists believe it was caused by a meteorite crashing into Earth at 20 km/s (12.4 mi/s). Deep beneath the surface lie deformed rock layers – silent evidence of the enormous pressure unleashed on impact.

4. Shunak – Kazakhstan’s Most Photogenic Crater

Location: Karaganda Region, 20 km (12.4 mi) west of Moiynty village, Shetsky District
Diameter: ~3 km (1.9 mi)
Age: 35–55 million years (Eocene); some sources say 12 million years (Middle Miocene)

Though the smallest in diameter, Shunak is arguably the most scenic crater in Kazakhstan. It’s clearly visible on Google Maps and from the air. A distinct rim outlines the crater, and its 400-meter-deep (1,312 ft) bowl is covered in shrubs and sparse grasses, creating a natural amphitheater.

Shunak is often used as a textbook example of a “classic” impact crater. It’s so visually striking that it frequently appears in astronomical journals.

Just 8 km (5 mi) to the west lies Western Shunak, a smaller crater. Some scientists believe it was created by a fragment of the same meteorite. Though erosion and rivers have blurred its shape over millions of years, the northwestern edge is still discernible.

Why So Few??

Despite Kazakhstan’s vast territory, only four meteorite craters have been officially confirmed. Why so few?

Over time, craters can:

• be buried under layers of sediment;
• be destroyed by tectonic activity;
• remain undetected without deep geophysical surveys.

According to some researchers, at least 23 meteorites have fallen across Kazakhstan in the last 184 years. However, these were relatively small and left no visible craters.

Still, scientists remain hopeful. Many regions of Kazakhstan are underexplored from the standpoint of impact geology. Who knows, perhaps the next great discovery will be made by someone scanning satellite images... or simply hiking through the steppe.