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Lake Bosumtwi

Coordinates: 06°30′20″N 01°24′33″W / 6.50556°N 1.40917°W / 6.50556; -1.40917
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Lake Bosumtwi
Satellite image of Lake Bosumtwi
Location of Lake Bosumtwi in Ghana.
Location of Lake Bosumtwi in Ghana.
Lake Bosumtwi
Location of Lake Bosumtwi in Ghana.
Location of Lake Bosumtwi in Ghana.
Lake Bosumtwi
LocationAshanti
Coordinates06°30′20″N 01°24′33″W / 6.50556°N 1.40917°W / 6.50556; -1.40917
TypeAncient lake, Impact crater lake
1.07 million years old[1]
Primary inflowsrainfall[2]
Primary outflowsnone[2]
Catchment area400 km2 (150 sq mi)[2]
Basin countriesGhana
Max. length8.6 km (5.3 mi)
Max. width8.1 km (5.0 mi)
Surface area49 km2 (19 sq mi)[2]
Average depth45 m (148 ft)[2]
Max. depth81 m (266 ft)[2]
Surface elevation150 m (490 ft)
References[2]

Lake Bosomtwe,[3] also spelled Bosumtwi,[4] is the only natural lake in Ghana. It is situated within an ancient impact crater that is about 10.5 kilometres (6.5 mi) in diameter.[2] It is about 30 km (19 mi) south-east of Kumasi, the capital of Ashanti, and is a popular recreational area. There are about 30 villages near the crater lake of Lake Bosomtwe, with a combined population of about 70,000.[4] The most popular amongst the villages where tourists usually settle is Abono.[5][6]

The Ashanti consider Bosomtwe a sacred lake. According to traditional belief, the souls of the dead come here to bid farewell to the goddess 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.[7][8][9]

Oblique view with 3x vertical exaggeration

Impact crater

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Bosumtwi crater
Bosumtwi crater is located in Africa
Bosumtwi crater
Bosumtwi crater
Asteroid impact location in Africa
Impact crater/structure
ConfidenceConfirmed
Diameter10.5 km (6.5 mi)
Depth
  • 380 m (1,250 ft) (exposed)
  • 750 m (2,460 ft) (original, incl. sediments)
Age1.07 Ma
CountryGhana
Planar deformation features from the Bosumtwi impact crater visible under the optical and scanning electron microscope.[10]

The Lake Bosomtwe impact crater is 10.5 km (6.5 mi) in diameter, slightly larger than the present lake which is approximately 8 km (5.0 mi) across, and is estimated to be 1.07 million years old (Pleistocene period).[1][11]

The depth of crater is approximately 380 m (1,250 ft), but, if counted together with the depth of lake sediments - 750 m (2,460 ft).[12]

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.[11] 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.[11]

A work based on a statistical study of past numerical orbital simulations of the impact event[13] asserts that the possible origin of the impactor is an asteroid coming from the middle main-belt at a high inclination (>17 degrees).[14]

Climate history

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Before the asteroid impact, the area was a lush rainforest filled with animals. Following the impact, the resulting crater filled with water forming Lake Bosomtwe.[15]

Periods of heavy rainfall filled the crater with water, causing the lake level to rise above the lowest points of the rim. Such periods are evidenced from fossils of fish found on hilltops. Water even flowed from the basin through an overflow channel. However, there were also times when the water level was so low that the rainforest entered the basin rendering the lake only a small pond. Such a period, according to legend and now proved by paleoclimate records, lasted until about 300 years ago.[16][17]

Panorama of Lake Bosomtwe

See also

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  • Lake Iro – another African lake suspected to be an impact crater

References

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  1. ^ a b "Bosumtwi". Earth Impact Database. Planetary and Space Science Centre University of New Brunswick Fredericton. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Bosumtwi". LakeNet. Archived from the original on November 28, 2003. Retrieved 2007-02-18.
  3. ^ "Visit Ghana - Lake Bosomtwe". Visit Ghana. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
  4. ^ a b "Lake Bosomtwi". touringghana.com. 2016-03-27. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  5. ^ Adom, Dickson (2018-01-01). "The human impact and the aquatic biodiversity of lake Bosomtwe: rennaisance (sic) of the cultural traditions of Abono (Ghana)?". Transylvanian Review of Systematical and Ecological Research. 20 (1): 87–110. doi:10.1515/trser-2018-0007. ISSN 2344-3219.
  6. ^ Serwaa, Maame. "Why Ghana's Lake Bosomtwe Should Be on Your Travel Bucket List". Yo Chale. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  7. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Hemichromis frempongi". FishBase. February 2012 version.
  8. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Tilapia busumana". FishBase. February 2012 version.
  9. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Tilapia discolor". FishBase. February 2012 version.
  10. ^ Losiak, Anna; Golebiowska, Izabela; Ferrière, Ludovic; Wojciechowski, Jacek; Huber, Matthew S.; Koeberl, Christian (2016-04-01). "WIP: A Web-based program for indexing planar features in quartz grains and its usage". Meteoritics & Planetary Science. 51 (4): 647–662. Bibcode:2016M&PS...51..647L. doi:10.1111/maps.12614. ISSN 1945-5100.
  11. ^ a b c Koeberl, C.; Milkereit, B.; Overpeck, J.T.; Scholz, C.A.; Amoako, P.Y.O.; Boamah, D.; Danuor, S.; Karp, T.; Kueck, J.; Hecky, R.E.; et al. (2007). "An international and multidisciplinary drilling project into a young complex impact structure: The 2004 ICDP Bosumtwi Crater Drilling Project—An overview". Meteoritics & Planetary Science. 42 (4–5): 483–511. Bibcode:2007M&PS...42..483K. doi:10.1111/j.1945-5100.2007.tb01057.x. S2CID 6897812.
  12. ^ "Lake Bosumtwi". Wondermondo. 2013-02-09.
  13. ^ Artemieva, N.; Karp, T.; Milkereit, B.; et al. (2004). "Investigating the Lake Bosumtwi impact structure: Insight from numerical modeling". Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. 5 (11): Q11016. Bibcode:2004GGG.....511016A. doi:10.1029/2004GC000733. S2CID 129665903.
  14. ^ Galiazzo, M. A.; Bazsó, Á.; Huber, M. S.; Losiak, A.; Dvorak, R.; Koeberl, C.; et al. (2013). "A statistical dynamical study of meteorite impactors: A case study based on parameters derived from the Bosumtwi impact event". Astronomische Nachrichten. 334 (9): 936–939. arXiv:1305.3631. Bibcode:2013AN....334..936G. doi:10.1002/asna.201211964. S2CID 118723115.
  15. ^ Pease, Roland (2004-10-12). "Drilling for Africa's climate history". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  16. ^ Shanahan et al. 2009
  17. ^ Shanahan, T. M.; Overpeck, J. T.; Anchukaitis, K. J.; Beck, J. W.; Cole, J. E.; Dettman, D. L.; Peck, J. A.; Scholz, C. A.; King, J. W. (April 17, 2009). "Atlantic Forcing of Persistent Drought in West Africa". Science. 324 (5925): 377–380. Bibcode:2009Sci...324..377S. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.366.1394. doi:10.1126/science.1166352. PMID 19372429. S2CID 2679216. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
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