In 2005, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The crater was formed roughly 50,000 years ago when a 98.4 feet (30 meter) wide, iron-rich meteor weighing 100,000 tons struck the Arizona desert at an estimated 12.4 miles (20 km) per second. Vredefort crater in South Africa, also called the Vredefort Dome, was originally 185 miles (300 kilometers) across, scientists estimate. The crater reportedly developed by an asteroid impact some 35 million years ago. THE LARGEST IMPACT ZONE from a meteorite ever discovered on Earth has been found in central Australia. Located at the south-west of Johannesburg, the crater is believed to have been made by an asteroid impact on Earth some two billion years ago. Few remnants remain visible today. Scientists are unsure if the oldest meteorite crater on Earth, a 3 billion-year-old crater in West Greenland, was actually covered in water at the time. It is interesting to note that the Chicxulub crater is far below the surface of the earth and cannot be seen by the naked eye. Because of erosion over this long time period, the crater is a bit difficult The Vredefort crater in South Africa is the largest verified asteroid crater on Earth. Almost 150 meters (500 feet) deep and about 1,830 meters (6,000 feet) wide, this crater is believed to have been formed by a meteorite impact that occurred between 35,000 and 50,000 years ago. World's best Meteor Crater with Internet picture tours around the rim and floor of this amazing meteorite impact crater. Located in central Idaho and western Montana, this 600-million-year-old crater is the second largest in the US. Top 10 of Anything and Everything – The Fun Top Ten Blog, Animals, Gift Ideas, Travel, Books, Recycling Ideas and Many, Many More, Sadly the size of all these craters listed and many, many others is always in dispute with geologists. Where is the world’s largest meteor crater? Vredefort crater in South Africa, also called the Vredefort Dome, was originally 185 miles (300 kilometers) across, scientists estimate. Wiki Info: The Kara crater lies in the southeastern end of the Yugorsky Peninsula, while the Ust-Kara site lies offshore, 15 km east of the small Kara or Karskaya Guba inlet. The arc of the western shoreline of Chesapeake Bay is believed to have been formed by a 53-mile-wide (85 km) marine crater, first discovered in the early 1980s. Vredefort crater in South Africa, also called the Vredefort Dome, was originally 185 miles (300 kilometers) across, scientists estimate. The evidence for impact includes the presence of shatter cones and shocked quartz in shattered bedrock on islands within Lake Acraman. . The age of the rocks Vredefort Crater. (Pictured) Satellite image taken on Nov. 29, 2004. Vredefort crater in South Africa is the largest known impact crater on Earth—almost 200 miles across! Later, through contact with Alan Hildebrand in 1990, Penfield obtained samples that suggested it was an impact feature. Mive meteorite crater in australia huge crater discovered in greenland oldest impact crater found in greenland what meteorites mean for science own mive meteorite crater Impressive Craters On Earth Universe Today11 Fascinating Impact Craters On Earth With Map Photos TouropiaJust Discovered In Australia The Largest Asteroid Impact Ever Por ScienceThe Top 5 Largest Meteorite Craters… Read … One of the largest impact craters on earth, Puchezh-Katunki crater is located in Russia. A giant block crashed into the Earth about 2 billion years ago. What remains of it is located in the present-day Free State Province of South Africa and named after the town of Vredefort, which is situated near its centre. This meant Meteor Crater was the first confirmed extraterrestrial impact crater on Earth! It was formerly believed that these two sites were two separate craters and that they formed a twin impact structure from a large-scale meteorite hit in the late Cretaceous. Wiki Info: The Vredefort crater is the largest verified impact crater on Earth, more than 300 km across when it was formed. This meteorite was discovered by a farmer in Namibia in the year 1920. The highly eroded crater exposed in the Yugorsky Peninsula is believed to have been made by an asteroid impact some 70.3 million years ago. So it is best to take them with a pinch of salt. Wiki Info: The Woodleigh impact event, originally thought to have occurred between the Late Triassic and Late Permian, is now thought to date from 8 million years ago. At over 2 billion years old, it is also one of the oldest. Get up close to the Meteor Crater, the best-preserved meteorite impact site on earth with Guided Tours, NASA Space Capsule, Gift Shop & More! In 2006, geologists found a beach ball-sized fossil meteorite that survived the collision. Spanning almost 56 miles (90 km), this crater was made by an asteroid impact some 580 million years ago. (Pictured) Satellite image of the crater taken on June 1, 2001. Vredefort Crater Vredefort Dome, Free State, South Africa. The 40 mile (64.3 km) wide crater is linked to the nearby Ust-Kara crater and many claim that the two were formed by a single impact, in which case they would form one of the largest craters on earth at 74.5 miles (120km). Vredefort Crater Vredefort is the largest confirmed impact crater on Earth, the Spot located … Wiki Info: The Vredefort crater is the largest verified impact crater on Earth, more than 300 km across when it was formed. One of the oldest impact craters on Earth, the Sudbury Crater was long thought to have been formed by the impact of a bolide–an extremely bright type of meteor. Biggest meteor that has been found on earth until today The meteorite came down about 20 km west of Grootfontein about 80,000 years ago and still remains at the same place, which is not surprising, considering the weight of 50 tons. But the largest meteorite on earth is this monster, named Hoba. The impact crater created a long-lasting topographic depression which helped predetermine the course of local rivers and the eventual location of Chesapeake Bay. The asteroid that hit Vredefort is estimated to have been one of the largest ever to strike Earth (at least since the Hadean Eon some four billion years ago), thought to have been approximately 10–15 km (6.2–9.3 mi) in diameter. This collision took place around 35 million years ago. Wiki Info: The Manicouagan Crater is one of the oldest known impact craters and is the largest ‘visible’ impact crater on Earth, located primarily in Manicouagan Regional County Municipality in the Côte-Nord region of Québec. Manicouagan Crater, Canada 6 – Manicouagan Crater, Canada (61 Mile Diameter) Wiki Info: The Manicouagan Crater is one of the oldest known impact craters and is the largest ‘visible’ impact crater on Earth, located primarily in Manicouagan Regional County Municipality in … (Pictured) Satellite image of the impact structure taken on Jan. 1, 2002. A large bolide impact created the 100 kilometres (62 mi) diameter crater 35.7 ± 0.2 (2σ The crater was caused by a cataclysmic asteroid impact which, scientist theorize, may have caused the extinction of most life on Earth, including the dinosaurs, 65 million years ago.