Location

The dome is situated about 100 km south west of Johannesburg, a short distance away from the N1 highway to Cape Town.

History

The Vredefort Dome was created by a massive meteorite some 3000 million years ago.

THE VREDEFORT DOME

The Vredefort Dome was created by a massive meteorite, over 10km³ in diameter. It struck the earth about 2023 million years ago, near the present day village of Vredefort.

The impact created a crater some 90 km in diameter and 16-18 km deep and caused a tremendous shift in in the earth's crust across a radius of over 300km diameter.

From the air, a partial ring of hills can be seen clearly. These hills form an arc to the north and west of Vredefort and Parys, centring on Vredefort. This area is known as the "Vredefort Dome".

Several landowners in the region have come together to form the Vredefort Dome Conservancy.

The Vredefort Dome World Heritage Site is one of the province's prime adventure tourism sites with numerous tour operators and accommodation facilities catering for the needs of campers, hikers, rock climbers, canoeists and white water rafters.

more about the dome

rock formations

NORTH WEST ICONS

THE PROVINCE

NORTH WEST REGIONS