India’s panorama quietly reveals proof of cosmic collisions, the place asteroids struck the Earth and left craters that generally grew to become lakes. These uncommon remnants of cosmic occasions are fascinating as a result of they present impacts from house, erosion, and the way nature adapts. Most recognized impression websites in India should not have everlasting lakes, however a number of have or as soon as had water-filled craters. Check out 5 of those crater lakes in India, shaped by meteor strikes.
Lonar Lake, Maharashtra
Lonar lake (Picture: Wikipedia)
It’s by far India’s most well-known and solely absolutely confirmed meteorite crater lake. Positioned within the basaltic Deccan Traps, this almost round despair was created by a high-velocity meteorite impression, now estimated to have occurred anyplace between ~50,000 years and presumably as much as ~570,000 years in the past. The presence of “maskelynite” — a glassy type of plagioclase shaped solely underneath excessive shock — and different shocked minerals confirms its extraterrestrial origin. The lake itself lies about 137 m beneath the crater rim, spans roughly 1.2 km in diameter, and comprises extremely alkaline and saline water. Surrounding the crater are historic temples, a wildlife sanctuary, and fragile ecosystems — a mix of religious, scientific, and ecological marvel
Ramgarh Crater, Rajasthan
Ramgarh Crater as seen from a airplane flying nearly 9000ft (Picture: Wikipedia)
That is one other fascinating impression web site. Though it’s closely eroded, geological analysis, together with the invention of shocked quartz and impression breccia, strongly helps that it was shaped by a meteorite. Contained in the previous crater is a wetland system with seasonal lakes, equivalent to Parvati Kund, which is salty and alkaline and certain stays from the unique impression. Pilgrims additionally go to the close by Bhand Deva Temple, making this web site a singular mix of cosmic geology and cultural heritage.
Luna Crater, Gujarat
Luna Crater (Picture: Wikipedia)
Regardless of not being as effectively often called others, Luna crater in Kutch is vital to scientists. It’s roughly 1.2 kilometers large, with a shallow lake at its middle, overlaying round 1 sq. kilometer; nevertheless, it might probably dry up throughout the summer time. Luna is very fascinating as a result of scientists have discovered glassy impression fragments and high-pressure minerals, equivalent to coesite and stishovite, which point out {that a} very quick meteorite struck right here. The native Luna Dham temple provides cultural significance to this scientific web site.
Dhala Crater, Madhya Pradesh
Positioned close to Shivpuri, Dhala crater is the biggest confirmed impression construction in India, with estimates of a diameter of as much as 11 km. Courting again over 2 billion years, it is without doubt one of the oldest recognized impression websites in Asia. Nevertheless, on account of its age, heavy erosion, and geological modifications, it now not has a transparent, everlasting lake right now. Sedimentation and weathering have largely erased any apparent water physique which will have existed.The crater lakes (past Parvati Kund) are generally grouped as a part of “impression lakes” in widespread journey lists, however many of those water our bodies are shallow, ephemeral, or extra akin to wetlands than secure lakes. Due to this, they aren’t all the time true “crater lakes” within the strict geological sense.
