How old is the tswaing crater?
220 000 years ago
Some 220 000 years ago a blazing stony meteorite the size of half a football field slammed into the earth’s crust. The impact formed a huge crater, 1.4 km in diameter and 200 m deep. This crater is one of the best-preserved meteorite impact craters in the world.
When did the star fall in South Africa?
Some 220 000 years ago a meteorite half a soccer field in diameter, travelling at 4 000 kilometres per hour, hit what is now the Gauteng province of South Africa, exploding with the impact of 100 atomic bombs.
What is the largest impact crater on Earth?
The Yilan Crater is the largest meteorite impact crater on Earth in 100,000 years, reported Xinhua News Agency.
Which is the best way to get to Tswaing?
Tswaing is reached by taking the M35 (Soutpan) road from Pretoria going north past Ondersterpoort. Here are the first mapand second mapof the route from Pretoria, not to scale. This mapof the area is to scale.
Where is the Tswaing Crater in South Africa?
An ancient impact crater on the outskirts of Pretoria. Tswaing Crater. Laura/cc by 2.0 Tswaing Crater. Laura/cc by 2.0 Tswaing saltworks ruins. Ossewa/cc by-sa 4.0 Tswaing Crater. Martin Tuchscherer/cc by-sa 3.0 Tswaing Crater. Laura/cc by 2.0 Been Here? Want to Visit?
Why was the Tswaing crater called the saltpan?
Before folks knew about the actual value of this meteor crash site, the lake was mined for some 44 years due to its high concentrations of salt and soda ash. The Setswana word ‘Tswaing’ translates to ‘the place of salt’ and the crater is alternatively known as the Saltpan (Soutpan).
How to get to Tswaing from South Africa?
Tswaing is reached by taking the M35 (Soutpan) road from Pretoria going north past Ondersterpoort. Here are the first mapand second mapof the route from Pretoria, not to scale. This mapof the area is to scale. For GPS users, the coordinates of the new entrance to Tswaing are Latitude 25.409 S and Longitude 28.0958 E.
