Long before there were tractors, coffee shops, or even dinosaurs wandering about, Vredefort had one very dramatic introduction to history. Around 2 billion years ago, an asteroid estimated to be between 10 and 15 kilometers wide slammed into the Earth right where Vredefort stands today.
The impact was so enormous that it created what is now known as the Vredefort Dome—the oldest and largest visible meteor impact structure on Earth. Imagine the world's biggest "Oops!" moment.
So the next time someone says your hometown is "out of this world," you can proudly reply:
