Where does this come from, and can I check it?

An asteroid strike created a crater over 250 kilometres wide two billion years ago. The figure is taken from UNESCO, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a records & extremes fact?

Yes. It sits on the Records & Extremes shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

The Vredefort Crater is Earth's largest verified impact structure

An asteroid strike created a crater over 250 kilometres wide two billion years ago

Located in South Africa, the Vredefort structure was formed when an asteroid roughly ten kilometres wide struck Earth about two billion years ago. The initial impact crater spanned up to 300 kilometres across. Although erosion has worn away surface features, original geological layers remain visible to researchers.

Where this comes from

UNESCO

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

Go further

World Geography trivia Distance Calculator

More facts like this

Oumuamua was the first confirmed interstellar visitor to our solar systemA strange elongated object from another star system sped past the Sun in 2017 The Bay of Fundy experiences the highest tides in the worldWater levels fluctuate by up to sixteen metres during spring tides Kilauea is one of the world's most active shield volcanoesContinuous eruptions from 1983 to 2018 added hundreds of acres of new land Lake Titicaca is the highest commercially navigable lake on EarthPassenger and freight vessels cross this Andean lake at 3,812 metres altitude Tristan da Cunha is the most remote inhabited island group on EarthThe nearest continental landmass lies over two thousand four hundred kilometres away Point Nemo is the farthest oceanic point from any land massThe closest islands sit nearly two thousand seven hundred kilometres away

Tags: vredefort, impact crater, asteroid

The Vredefort Crater is Earth's largest verified impact structure: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: An asteroid strike created a crater over 250 kilometres wide two billion years ago. The figure is taken from UNESCO, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a records & extremes fact?: Yes. It sits on the Records & Extremes shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.