Kalkkop is an impact crater which can be found on a private farm 50 kilometres (31 mi) south east of the town of Aberdeen, Eastern Cape, in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The name is derived from two Afrikaans words, namely "kalk" meaning limestone and "kop" meaning head.[1]
| Kalkkop crater | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Impact crater/structure | |
| Confidence | Confirmed |
| Diameter | 0.64 kilometres (0.40 mi) |
| Age | 0.25 ± 0.05 Ma |
| Exposed | Yes |
| Drilled | Yes |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Eastern Cape Province |
| Municipality | Aberdeen, Eastern Cape |
The meteorite impact occurred about 250,000 years ago (Pleistocene) on what is now the flat Karoo landscape. It left a crater 640 metres in diameter and a few hundred metres deep. Over time, draining water left a limestone deposit 88 metres deep. This lies over a breccia layer a further 210 metres deep. Only a weathered circular ridge is still visible at the surface.
This is one of four confirmed impact sites in South Africa and six within the Southern African region.[2]
References
edit- ^ "Kalkkop". Earth Impact Database. Planetary and Space Science Centre University of New Brunswick Fredericton. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
- ^ "Africa". Earth Impact Database. Planetary and Space Science Centre University of New Brunswick Fredericton. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
32°42′29″S 24°25′56″E / 32.70806°S 24.43222°E
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