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Where is the Vredefort crater?

geologySouth Africaspace

Quick Answer

The Vredefort crater is in South Africa's Free State and North West provinces, about 120 km south-west of Johannesburg.

The Full Story

The Vredefort impact structure was created about 2 billion years ago when an asteroid estimated to be well over 10 km wide struck Earth. It is the largest verified impact structure on the planet, with an original diameter estimated at roughly 250 to 300 km. Billions of years of erosion have worn away the original crater, but a ring of hills called the Vredefort Dome still marks its centre. The town of Vredefort, which gives the structure its name, lies within it. The Vredefort Dome was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.

Key Facts

1.The impact happened about 2 billion years ago.
2.It is the largest verified impact structure on Earth.
3.The Vredefort Dome became a UNESCO site in 2005.

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Suggested video title for this topic:

"The biggest asteroid scar on Earth is 2 billion years old — and hiding in plain sight."