WHAT AWAITS YOU AT VREDEFORT DOME?

Vredefort Dome, approximately 120 km south-west of Johannesburg, is a representative part of a larger meteorite impact structure, or astrobleme. Dating back 2,023 million years, it is the oldest astrobleme yet found on Earth. With a radius of 190 km, it is the largest and the most deeply eroded.

Vredefort Dome bears witness to the world’s greatest known single energy release event, which had devastating global effects including, according to some scientists, major evolutionary changes. It provides critical evidence of the Earth’s geological history and is crucial to understanding of the evolution of the planet.

Despite the importance of impact sites to the planet’s history, geological activity on the earth’s surface has led to the disappearance of evidence from most of them, Vredefort is the only example of a full geological profile of an astrobleme below the crater floor.

FACTS

Free State province of South Africa.
The capital is Bloemfontein.

Bram Fischer International Airport [Bloemfontein]
OR Tambo International Airport [Johannesburg]

The Vredefort Dome represents a unique geological phenomenon formed about 2 023 million years ago. Within the area, geological strata comprising the middle to upper zones of the earth’s crust, developed over a period of more than 3 200 million years are exposed. All the classical related characteristics of a large astrobleme are found in the property.

Vredefort Dome has an arid, dry subtropical climate. The winter months runs from May to September [low season] while the summer runs from October to April [high season]. The summer averages 28C [82F] while winter temperatures average 21C [70F].

English, Sesotho and Afrikaans

Rand [ZAR]
US Dollars are not accepted.
Foreign exchange services are available in big cities and airports.

Geology
Origin and Evolution
UNESCO World Heritage Site