List of impact craters in Africa

Confirmed impact craters

This list of impact craters in Africa includes all confirmed impact craters (a total of 19) as listed in the Earth Impact Database. These features were caused by the collision of large meteorites or comets with the Earth. For eroded or buried craters, the stated diameter typically refers to an estimate of original rim diameter, and may not correspond to present surface features.

Africa

Name	Location	Diameter (km)	Age (years)	Coordinates
Amguid	Algeria	0.45	< 100,000	26°5′N 4°24′E / 26.083°N 4.400°E
Aorounga	Chad	12.6	< 345 million	19°6′N 19°15′E / 19.100°N 19.250°E
Aouelloul	Mauritania	0.39	3.0 ± 0.3 million	20°15′N 12°41′W / 20.250°N 12.683°W
BP Structure	Libya	2	< 120 million	25°19′N 24°19′E / 25.317°N 24.317°E
Bosumtwi	Ashanti	10.5	1.07 million	6°30′N 1°25′W / 6.500°N 1.417°W
Gweni-Fada	Chad	14	< 345 million	17°25′N 21°45′E / 17.417°N 21.750°E
Kalkkop	South Africa	0.64	0.25 million	32°43′S 24°26′E / 32.717°S 24.433°E
Kamil	Egypt	0.045	< 2000	22°1′6″N 26°5′15″E / 22.01833°N 26.08750°E
Kgagodi	Botswana	3.5	< 180 million	22°29′S 27°35′E / 22.483°S 27.583°E
Luizi	DRC	17	< 575 million	10°10′S 28°00′E / 10.167°S 28.000°E
Morokweng	South Africa	70	145.0 ± 0.8 million	26°28′S 23°32′E / 26.467°S 23.533°E
Oasis	Libya	18	< 120 million	24°35′N 24°24′E / 24.583°N 24.400°E
Ouarkziz	Algeria	3.5	< 70 million	29°0′N 7°33′W / 29.000°N 7.550°W
Roter Kamm	Namibia	2.5	3.7 ± 0.3 million	27°46′S 16°18′E / 27.767°S 16.300°E
Talemzane	Algeria	1.75	< 3 million	33°19′N 4°2′E / 33.317°N 4.033°E
Tenoumer	Mauritania	1.9	21,400 ± 9,700	22°55′N 10°24′W / 22.917°N 10.400°W
Tin Bider	Algeria	6	< 70 million	27°36′N 5°7′E / 27.600°N 5.117°E
Tswaing (was Pretoria Saltpan)	South Africa	1.13	0.220 ± 0.052 million	25°24′30″S 28°04′58″E / 25.40833°S 28.08278°E
Vredefort	South Africa	300	2023 ± 4 million	27°0′S 27°30′E / 27.000°S 27.500°E

Unconfirmed impact craters

The following craters are officially considered "unconfirmed" because they are not listed in the Earth Impact Database. Due to stringent requirements regarding evidence and peer-reviewed publication, newly discovered craters or those with difficulty collecting evidence generally are known for some time before becoming listed. However, entries on the unconfirmed list could still have an impact origin disproven.

Mahas crater

Name	Location	Diameter	Age	Coordinates
Kebira	Gilf Kebir region, Egypt	31 km	100 million	24°40′N 24°58′E / 24.667°N 24.967°E
Temimichat[1]	Mauritania	0.75 km	unknown	24°15′N 9°39′W / 24.250°N 9.650°W
Wembo-Nyama ring structure[2][3]	DR Congo	36–46 km (est.)	60 million	3°37′52″S 24°31′07″E / 3.63111°S 24.51861°E
Mahas^1	Northern, Sudan	2.85 km	Unknown	20°01′53″N 30°13′40″E / 20.03139°N 30.22778°E

Notes

¹Mahas was anonymously added Jan 2015, but the coordinates do show a convincing impact-like structure.

See also

• Impact craters
• Impact events
• Bolides and Meteorites
• Earth Impact Database – primary source
• Traces of Catastrophe book from Lunar and Planetary Institute - comprehensive reference on impact crater science

References

1. A. P. Rossi; A. Baliva & E. Piluso (2003). "New Evidences of an Impact Origin for Temimichat Crater, Mauritania" (PDF). Lunar and Planetary Science (Lunar and Planetary Institute). XXXIV.
2. G. Monegato; M. Massironi & E. Martellato (2010). "The Ring Structure of Wembo-Nyama (Eastern Kasai, R.D. Congo): A Possible Impact Crater in Central Africa" (PDF). Lunar and Planetary Science (Lunar and Planetary Institute) XLI.
3. "Ring may be giant 'impact crater'". BBC News. 2010-03-10. Retrieved 2010-05-08.

External links

• Africa Impact Craters, Earth Impact Database – List of confirmed earth impact sites at the Planetary and Space Science Centre, University of New Brunswick
• Impact Database (formerly Suspected Earth Impact Sites list) maintained by David Rajmon for Impact Field Studies Group, USA