Explore the Vredefort Dome

It seems the stuff of action-packed movie plots and cinematic drama, but it's true! A large meteorite did indeed strike in South Africa!

Geographically, the meteorite that created this gigantic crater is believed to have struck in the Free State, near the small town of Vredefort, but it landed on Earth more than 2000 million years ago – long before people or the science of geography existed! It is the largest verified meteorite impact site to be found on Earth and it's for that reason that it's considered of gigantic scientific importance.

Officially titled the Vredefort Dome, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005, making the area South Africa's seventh World Heritage Site. Located just over 100 kilometres away from Johannesburg, the Vredefort Dome is so named because, when the meteorite hit, the rock layers of the ground were bent into the shape of an upside-down bowl.

In-depth research has been conducted at the Vredefort crater site, and continues to this day. Interested geologists and scientists, along with keen tourists and eager sightseers, flock to this site for a deeper look into this incredible phenomenon.

Research of the 300km-wide Vredefort crater has revealed that the meteorite that created it was, most probably, 5 to 10 kilometres wide and was travelling at a speed of more than 10km per second. While not all 300 kilometres of the crater is visible today, scientists have been able to distinguish the crater's width by investigating hills, rocky outcrops and other aspects of the landscape around the region.

As a multiple-ringed meteorite impact site, the Vredefort crater is most known for the Vredefort Dome that sits in the middle of the crater. This partial ring of hills covers 70 kilometres, and was created by the rebound of rocks below the impact site, created after the meteorite smashed into Earth.

Aside from the scientific discoveries, the Vredefort Dome is nowadays also a popular destination for adrenaline junkies and sports fanatics. With, among others rock climbing, hot air ballooning and mountain biking facilities available at the site, visitors to Sun City in the North West regularly make the journey to Vredefort Dome for a day trip.