PART I CHAPTER 1 T E, ,. 15 Introduction. 16 Geological change the answers within, and without. 18 Man on the Moon. 24 Back to the beginning from the Big Bang to early Earth. 29 Impact the ubiquitous process. 31 The oldest rocks. 32 Time to cool birth of the Kaapvaal continent. 35 Old crust in the Vredefort Dome. 37 Rifting, oceans, volcanism. 38 Mountains, fire and ice. 44 The unique Bushveld magmatic event. 46 CHAPTER 2 C. 49 Introduction. 50 Extinction or survival our restless Earth. 53 Meteorite-impact catastrophes. 67 Normal (background) versus mass extinctions. 72 A brief look at the impact record in the Solar System. 76 What are the projectiles capable of causing an impact catastrophe?. 87 What is an impact crater?. 90 How can we identify impact structures?. 92 Shock metamorphism. 97 CHAPTER 3 T A. 101 Tswaing meteorite crater. 102 Does Tswaing have a twin? (Kalkkop Crater, Eastern Cape Province). 108 South Africa s other Giant Impact Morokweng impact structure, North West Province. 109 Our southern African neighbours. 111 Testimony of earliest impact catastrophe Barberton and the Northern Cape Province. 113 Traces of catastrophe in the Karoo?. 115 6 CHAPTER 4 V: T W. 117 The Vredefort Structure revealed. 118 Getting to know the giant: By road through the Vredefort Structure. 120 Traversing the outer parts of the Vredefort Dome (Fochville to Parys). 12 5 The geology of the Vredefort Dome.