Tswaing Crater - Impact Basin
Posted by: 
TeamTGF
S 25° 24.480 E 028° 04.937
35J E 608853 N 7189432
One of the best preserved craters in the World.
Waymark Code: WM1D3T
Location: Gauteng, South Africa
Date Posted: 04/09/2007
Views: 305
The Tswaing Crater
About 200 000 years ago a giant asteroid weighing 300 000kg and
moving at a speed of 16km a second (4000km/h) crashed into the earth causing an
explosion over a hundred times as powerful as the Nuclear bomb dropped on
Hiroshima. An area of up to 3km from the impact was instantly vaporized,
including the meteor. A broader area of up to 1000 square kilometers would have
been flattened, with an air-blast of 1000km/h. The area is now a nature reserve
rich in local fauna
For many years the Tswaing crater was thought to be made from a
volcanic eruption. In 1989 a drill was sent down over 200m to prove that the
crater was indeed a result of a meteor. The crater once contained high
concentrations of salt and soda ash, giving it the name of the SoutPan.
Parking for the crater can be found at S 25° 25.289 E 028°
04.814, follow the trail from here to the crater.
Click
here to see 360 degree view of the published coordinates
For more information go to http://www.nfi.org.za/Tswaing/Index.htm