Editing Vredefort impact structure (section)

{{Short description|Largest verified impact structure on Earth, about 2 billion years old}}
{{Use dmy dates|date = July 2022}}
{{Use South African English|date = July 2022}}
{{Infobox terrestrial impact site
| name = Vredefort impact structure
| other_name = Vredefort Dome
| photo = Vredefort Crater, South Africa, OLI satellite image, 27 June 2018 cropped.png
| photo_size = 
| photo_alt = 
| photo_caption = Vredefort Dome (centre), with the [[Vaal river]] running across it; seen from space with the [[Operational Land Imager]] on [[Landsat 8]], {{Date|27 June 2018|DMY}}
| map = South Africa
| map_alt = 
| map_caption = Location of Vredefort impact structure
| map_size = 
| location = 
| label =
| label_position = 
| coordinates = {{coord|27|0|0|S|27|30|0|E|type:landmark_scale:5000000_region:SA|display= inline,title}}
| coordinates_ref = 
| confidence = Confirmed
| diameter = {{convert|170-300|km|abbr=on}} (estimated former crater diameter)
| depth =
| rise =
| imp_size =
| age = {{long fossil range|2023}}± 4 Ma<br /> [[Orosirian]], [[Paleoproterozoic]]
| exposed = Yes
| drilled = Yes
| bolide =
| translation =
| language =
| pronunciation =
| topo = 
| access = 
| country = [[South Africa]]
| state = 
| province = [[Free State (province)|Free State]]
| district = 
| municipality = 
| module = {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| child         = yes
| official_name = Vredefort Dome
| includes      = {{flatlist|
#Vredefort Dome core area
#The [[stromatolite]]/basal [[fault plane]] site
#The chocolate tablet [[breccia]] site
#The [[pseudotachylite]] (quarry) site
}}
| criteria      = {{UNESCO WHS type|(viii)}}(viii)
| ID            = 1162
| year          = 2005
| area          = {{convert|30000|ha|sqmi|abbr=on}}
| buffer_zone   = 
}}
}}

The '''Vredefort impact structure''' is the [[List of impact craters on Earth#10 Ma or more|largest]] verified [[impact structure]] on [[Earth]].<ref name="UR-2022">{{Cite web|author=((University of Rochester)) |date=26 September 2022 |title=The asteroid that formed Vredefort crater was bigger than previously believed |publisher=Science X |url=https://phys.org/news/2022-09-asteroid-vredefort-crater-bigger-previously.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926202131/https://phys.org/news/2022-09-asteroid-vredefort-crater-bigger-previously.html |archive-date=26 September 2022 |url-status=live }}</ref> The crater, which has since been eroded away, has been estimated at {{convert|170-300|km|mi|||abbr=|sigfig=}} across when it was formed.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Huber |first1=M. S. |last2=Kovaleva |first2=E. |last3=Rae |first3=A. S. P. |last4=Tisato |first4=N. |last5=Gulick |first5=S. P. S. |date=August 2023 |title=Can Archean Impact Structures Be Discovered? A Case Study From Earth's Largest, Most Deeply Eroded Impact Structure |journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets |language=en |volume=128 |issue=8 |doi=10.1029/2022JE007721 |issn=2169-9097|doi-access=free |bibcode=2023JGRE..12807721H }}</ref><ref name=":1" /> The remaining structure, comprising the deformed underlying bedrock, is located in present-day [[Free State (province)|Free State]] province of [[South Africa]]. It is named after the town of [[Vredefort]], which is near its centre. The structure's central uplift is known as the '''Vredefort Dome'''. The impact structure was formed during the [[Paleoproterozoic Era]], 2.023&nbsp;billion  (± 4 million) years ago. It is among the oldest known [[List of impact structures on Earth|impact structures on Earth]], after [[Yarrabubba impact structure|Yarrabubba]] (2.23 billion years old)<ref name="erickson">{{Cite journal |last1=Erickson |first1=Timmons M. |last2=Kirkland |first2=Christopher L. |last3=Timms |first3=Nicholas E. |last4=Cavosie |first4=Aaron J. |last5=Davison |first5=Thomas M. |date=2020-01-21 |title=Precise radiometric age establishes Yarrabubba, Western Australia, as Earth's oldest recognised meteorite impact structure |journal=[[Nature Communications]] |language=en |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=300 |bibcode=2020NatCo..11..300E |doi=10.1038/s41467-019-13985-7 |issn=2041-1723 |pmc=6974607 |pmid=31964860}}</ref> and [[Antarctic Creek impact structure|Antarctic Creek]] (3.47 billion years old).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kirkland |first=Christopher L. |last2=Johnson |first2=Tim E. |last3=Kaempf |first3=Jonas |last4=Ribeiro |first4=Bruno V. |last5=Zametzer |first5=Andreas |last6=Smithies |first6=R. Hugh |last7=McDonald |first7=Brad |date=2025-03-06 |title=A Paleoarchaean impact crater in the Pilbara Craton, Western Australia |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-57558-3 |journal=Nature Communications |language=en |volume=16 |issue=1 |doi=10.1038/s41467-025-57558-3 |issn=2041-1723 |pmc=11885519 |pmid=40050265}}</ref>

In 2005, the Vredefort Dome was added to the list of [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]]s for its geologic interest.