Tswaing crater

Tswaing is a meteorite crater in South Africa.

The crater exposed at the surface, 1.13 km in diameter, 100 m deep [cite web|url=http://www.saao.ac.za/~wgssa/as2/reimold.html|title=Meteorites and Meteorite Craters|last=Reimold|first=W.U. |date=1998-04-27|publisher=South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO)|accessdate=2008-08-23] and the age is estimated to be 220,000 ± 52,000 years (Pleistocene).cite web|url=http://www.lpi.usra.edu/science/kring/epo_web/impact_cratering/enviropages/Tswaing/Tswaingintropage.html|title=Tswaing and its environmental effects|publisher=Lunar and Planetary Institute|accessdate=2008-08-23] The impactor is believed to have been a stony meteorite some 30 to 50 m in diameter that was vaporized during the impact event.

The name "Tswaing" means "Place of Salt" in Tswana and the crater was also formerly known as _en. Pretoria Saltpan crater and _af. Soutpan krater.

Tswaing is currently on the "tentative list" for consideration as a World Heritage Site. [cite web|url=http://whc.unesco.org/en/search/?criteria=tswaing&x=0&y=0|title= [Tentative Lists] Tswaing Meteorite Crater|date=2004-05-15|publisher=UNESCO|accessdate=2008-08-23]

References

ee also

* Impact craters
* Impact events
* List of impact craters in Africa

External links

* [http://www.nfi.org.za/Tswaing/Index.htm Tswaing Meteorite Crater]
* [http://www.hartrao.ac.za/other/tswaing/tswaing.html Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory writeup on the crater]
* [http://www.tshwane.gov.za/tswaing.cfm City of Tswhane - Tswaing Meteorite Crater]
* [http://www.unb.ca/passc/ImpactDatabase/images/tswaing.html Earth Impact Database]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=-25.408802,28.082943&spn=0.118558,0.160632&t=k&hl=en Google Map]