Largest Confirmed Impact Craters on Earth

Source: Earth Impact Database

Largest Confirmed Impact Craters on Earth

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Key Findings

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Vredefort (South Africa) leads in Crater Diameter (km) with 300.

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2 billion BCE recorded the highest combined total across all categories.

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Gap: Vredefort (South Africa) is 5× larger than Woodleigh (Australia).

About This Dataset

Largest Confirmed Impact Craters on Earth

The largest confirmed meteorite impact structures on Earth ranked by diameter in kilometres according to the Earth Impact Database. The Vredefort Dome in South Africa is the largest confirmed impact structure on Earth with a diameter of approximately 300 km — though much of the original structure has been eroded over its 2-billion-year history.

Analysis

The top three in Crater Diameter (km) are Vredefort (South Africa) (300), Sudbury (Canada) (250) and Chicxulub (Mexico) (180). The 8 entries in Crater Diameter (km) cover a range of 240, from 300 down to 60. First and second are separated by 50, so the leader sits inside the field rather than apart from it. Only 3 of the 8 reach even half the leader's figure (150 or more).

Data Insights Below

Data Insights

Numbers, trends & sources behind this chart

Admin

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Data Points

8 categories · 8 years

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Top Value

300

Vredefort (South Africa)

Crater Diameter (km) · 2 billion BCE

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Metrics

Crater Diameter (km)

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Period

1.85 billion BCE – 66 million BCE

8 years of data

Methodology & source

Data source: Earth Impact Database
Coverage: 8 entities · 1.85 billion BCE–66 million BCE (8 years) · 8 observations
Measure: Crater Diameter (km)
Last updated: 6 September 2026
Compiled by: The ANYSTAT team, from the source above

How the figures are calculated

Values use the measure and unit named on this page. Consult the dataset description and cited source for coverage, definitions and any unit conversions. Displayed values may be rounded for readability.
Missing years are left empty rather than estimated — no interpolation, no carrying a previous year forward.
Change is measured between the first and last year in which an entity actually reported a value, so a series that starts late is not penalised for the years before it existed.
The compound annual rate is (last ÷ first)^(1 ÷ years) − 1, using those same two reported years.
Entities are ranked highest-first on their value.
An entity that reported nothing in the latest year is still listed — it follows the ranked entities in the table rather than being dropped.

Rankings & Full Data

8 records · Crater Diameter (km) · ranked by 66 million BCE

✓ 8 sourced

#	Category	1.85 billion BCE	2 billion BCE	215 million BCE	35 million BCE	36 million BCE	364 million BCE	590 million BCE	66 million BCE	Change
🥇	Vredefort (South Africa)	—	300	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
🥈	Sudbury (Canada)	250	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
🥉	Chicxulub (Mexico)	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	180	—
4	Manicouagan (Canada)	—	—	100	—	—	—	—	—	—
5	Popigai (Russia)	—	—	—	—	90	—	—	—	—
6	Acraman (Australia)	—	—	—	—	—	—	90	—	—
7	Chesapeake Bay (USA)	—	—	—	85	—	—	—	—	—
8	Woodleigh (Australia)	—	—	—	—	—	60	—	—	—

Data Sources & References

All external sources cited in this dataset

1 https://www.passc.net/EarthImpactDatabase/ Visit ↗

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APA

ANYSTAT. (2026). Largest Confirmed Impact Craters on Earth [Data set]. Data: Earth Impact Database. https://anystat.ai/stats/181/largest-impact-craters-on-earth

MLA

"Largest Confirmed Impact Craters on Earth." ANYSTAT, 6 Sep. 2026, https://anystat.ai/stats/181/largest-impact-craters-on-earth.

Link for your website

<a href="https://anystat.ai/stats/181/largest-impact-craters-on-earth">Largest Confirmed Impact Craters on Earth</a> (ANYSTAT)

Largest Confirmed Impact Craters on Earth