One way in which asteroid impacts have literally shaped Earth is through the resulting craters from large objects crashing into the crust. For instance, the Vredefort Dome in South Africa is the largest verified impact crater on Earth, estimated to be 300 kilometers wide when it was originally created. Researchers in Greenland have discovered possible evidence of an even larger and older crater, one that may have measured 500 kilometers in diameter. Over time, these craters erode due to the effects of wind and water, and tectonic shifts may alter their appearance. Regardless, these impacts have played a role in the evolution of the Earth's surface