Lake Bosumtwi
| Lake Bosumtwi | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location |
 Ashanti
|
| Coordinates | 6°30.3′N 1°24.5′W / 6.5050°N 1.4083°WCoordinates: 6°30.3′N 1°24.5′W / 6.5050°N 1.4083°W |
| Type |
impact crater lake 1 million - 2 million years old |
| Primary inflows | rainfall |
| Primary outflows | none |
| Catchment area | 400 km2 (150 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Ghana |
| Max. length | 8.6 km (5.3 mi) |
| Max. width | 8.1 km (5.0 mi) |
| Surface area | 49 km2 (19 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 45 m (148 ft) |
| Max. depth | 81 m (266 ft) |
| Surface elevation | 150 m (490 ft) |
| References | |
Lake Bosumtwi (rightly spelled Bosomtwe) is the only natural lake in Ashanti and Ghana. It is situated within an ancient impact crater that is about 10.5 kilometres (6.5 mi) in diameter. It is about 30 km south-east of Kumasi the capital of Ashanti and is a popular recreational area. There are about 30 villages near crater lake Lake Bosumtwi, with a combined population of about 70,000 Ashanti people.
The Ashanti consider Bosumtwi a sacred lake. According to traditional belief, the souls of the dead come here to bid farewell to the god Asase Ya. Because of this, it is considered permissible to fish in the lake only from wooden planks. Among the fish species in the lake is the endemic cichlid Hemichromis frempongi, and the near-endemic cichlids Tilapia busumana and T. discolor.
The Lake Bosumtwi impact crater is 10.5 km in diameter, slightly larger than the present lake which is approximately 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) across, and is estimated to be 1.07 million years old ( period). There is a highly speculative theory that connects this event to the short-term Jaramillo geomagnetic reversal.
Depth of crater is approximately 380 m, but, if counted together with the depth of lake sediments - 750 m.
The crater has been partly eroded, and is situated in dense rainforest, making it difficult to study and confirm its origin by meteorite impact. Shock features such as shatter cones are largely overgrown by vegetation or covered by the lake. However, drilling of the crater's central uplift beneath the lake floor has recently provided an abundance of shocked materials for scientific study.Tektites, believed to be from this impact, are found in the neighbouring country of Ivory Coast, and related microtektites have been found in deep sea sediments west of the African continent.
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Wikipedia