About two billion years ago, when life on Earth existed only in the form of the simplest forms, an ordinary event took place for that time. A huge meteorite crashed into our planet.
This fall was of great importance, because as a result, the largest impact crater known to date was formed on Earth. It is located on the territory of modern South Africa (south of the African continent). They call him Vredefort.
The diameter of Vredefort is about 250-300 kilometers. In addition to its unique size, it is considered one of the oldest craters formed as a result of a meteorite fall. It is believed that this meteorite was huge - more than 10 kilometers in diameter.
In its center there is a convex area called the dome of the crater. Therefore, it is called complex, simple craters do not have such a dome.
It is also interesting that craters like Vredefort are practically not found on Earth, but they are a typical type of relief on other objects in the Solar System - for example, the Valhalla crater, located on one of the moons of Jupiter, has a great similarity to it.
An interesting fact: about a hundred years ago, it was on this territory that the first remains of Australopithecus, the alleged human ancestor, were discovered.
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In 2005, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Scientists believe that the collision with a meteorite, as a result of which the crater was formed, had a great influence on the entire history of the development of our planet. This was also done because thanks to the presence of Vredefort, it became possible to study the geological history of the Earth.
Now the town of the same name is located in the crater. It is small - about 15 thousand inhabitants.
