Morokweng crater, Impact crater in North West, South Africa.
Morokweng crater is an impact structure buried beneath the Kalahari Desert sands close to Botswana's border. The formation spreads across a substantial underground area and remains hidden from view at ground level.
The crater formed roughly 145 million years ago when an asteroid struck Earth. Scientists discovered the structure only in 1994 through magnetic and gravimetric surveys.
The crater site serves as a research center for international geologists studying Earth's impact events and planetary formation processes.
The site is not accessible to casual visitors since the crater lies beneath thick sand cover. Researchers conduct their work through drilling operations at considerable depths to examine subsurface material.
The site contains a roughly 25-centimeter fragment of the original asteroid material. Such preservation is rare, as most impact sites lack any retained meteorite material.
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