Lonar crater lake
| Lonar Lake लोणार सरोवर |
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Lonar crater full rim view with vegetation
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| Location | Buldhana district, Maharashtra |
| Coordinates | 19°58′36″N 76°30′30″E / 19.97667°N 76.50833°ECoordinates: 19°58′36″N 76°30′30″E / 19.97667°N 76.50833°E |
| Type | impact crater lake, salt lake |
| Basin countries | India |
| Surface area | 1.13 km2 (0.44 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 137 m (449 ft) |
Lonar Lake is a saline soda lake located at Lonar in Buldhana district, Maharashtra, India, which was created by a meteor impact during the Epoch and it is the only known hyper velocity impact crater in basaltic rock anywhere on Earth.
This lake, which lies in a basalt impact structure, is both saline and alkaline in nature. Geologists, ecologists, archaeologists, naturalists and astronomers have published studies of various aspects of this crater lake ecosystem. Lonar Lake has a mean diameter of 1.2 kilometres (3,900 ft) and is about 137 metres (449 ft) below the crater rim. The meteor crater rim is about 1.8 kilometres (5,900 ft) in diameter.
The circular depression bears a saline water lake in its central portion. The crater's age is usually estimated to be 52,000 ± 6,000 years (), although a study published in 2010 gives an age of 570,000 ± 47,000 years.
The Smithsonian Institution, the United States Geological Survey, Geological Society of India, the University of Sagar and the Physical Research Laboratory have conducted extensive studies of the site. Biological nitrogen fixation was discovered in this lake in 2007.
A series of low hills surround the basin which has an oval shape (almost round) with circumference at top of about 8 km (five miles). The sides of the basin rise abruptly at an angle of about 75°. At the base, the lake has a circumference of about 4.8 km (three miles). The slopes are covered with tree-savannah, housing teak (Tectona grandis), Wrightia tinctoria, Butea monosperma, and Helicteres isora. Shrub-savannah with Acacia nilotica and Ziziphus spp. covers the crater wall. Along the lake shore, non-native Prosopis juliflora is spreading. The northeastern alluvial terrace, along the dhara river fan, is used for agriculture. Millet, maize, lady's finger, banana and papaya are the main cultivated crops.
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