Morokweng Crater

Description

The Morokweng crater (or Morokweng impact structure) is an impact crater buried beneath the Kalahari Desert near the town of Morokweng in the Northwest Province of South Africa, about 53 kilometers from Kathu.

The crater, formed by an asteroid 5-10 km (3-6 miles) in diameter, is at least about 160 km (100 miles)in diameter and the age is estimated to be 145.0 ± 0.8 million years, placing it on the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary.

Discovered in 1994, it is not exposed at the surface but has been mapped by magnetic and gravimetric surveys. Core samples have shown it to have been formed by the impact of an L chondrite asteroid.

In May, 2006, a group of scientists drilling into the site announced the discovery of a 25-centimetre (9.8 in) diameter fragment of the original asteroid at a depth of 770 metres (2,500 ft) below the surface, along with several much smaller pieces a few millimetres across at other depths. This discovery was unexpected since previous drillings on large impact.