Near the town of Vredefort in the Free State, some 2 billion years ago, a meteorite hit the earth and created an enormous impact crater, today known as the Vredefort Dome. Although in the top three for crater structures, the Vredefot dome is the oldest and largest meteorite visible on the planet. The original crater must have been about 250- 300 kilometres in diameter, but has eroded away over the years. The original impact of the meteorite was 380 kilometres across, which consists of three circles of uplifted rock. The inner circle was named a world heritage site and is visible over the range of hills near Parys and Vredefort