The Vredefort Dome is the oldest known and largest confirmed meteorite impact structure on Earth. Formed around two billion years ago, it marks the site where a massive asteroid struck the planet, releasing energy far beyond any nuclear weapon ever created. The impact reshaped Earth’s crust, melted rock layers, and permanently altered the geology of southern Africa. Today, the Vredefort Dome stands as the earliest physical evidence of large-scale planetary destruction in Earth’s history—and a re