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Lonar Lake

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Lonar Lake
Lonar Crater
Location of Lonar lake within Maharashtra, India
Location of Lonar lake within Maharashtra, India
Lonar Lake
Location in Maharashtra, India
LocationLonar, Maharashtra, India
Coordinates19°58′30″N 76°30′27″E / 19.97500°N 76.50750°E / 19.97500; 76.50750
TypeImpact crater, salt, soda lake
Basin countriesIndia
Max. length1,830 m (6,000 ft)
Surface area
1.13 km2 (0.44 sq mi)
Max. depth150 m (490 ft)
Water volume
0.15 km3 (0.036 cu mi)
Residence timeIST
Surface elevation
480 m (1,570 ft)
SettlementsLonar
Designated22 July 2020
Reference no.2441[1]
Designated1979

Lonar Lake is a saline, soda lake located near Lonar in Buldhana district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It occupies an impact crater formed by a hypervelocity meteorite impact. It is the only crater lake of meteoritic origin in the country, and has been designated as a National Geological Monument and a Ramsar site.

The crater measures 1.8 km (1.1 mi) in diameter and is 150 m (490 ft) deep. While earlier analyses dated the structure to 52 ± 6 ka, subsequent argon-argon dating (40Ar/39Ar) yielded a much older age of 570 ± 47 ka. However, the 40Ar/39Ar age has been disputed, as inherited argon in the samples may have resulted in an overestimation of the crater's age. The crater lies on volcanic basalt of the Deccan Plateau, dating to about 66 Ma.

Geography

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Lonar Lake is located near Lonar in Buldhana district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The lake is situated at an altitude of 480 m (1,570 ft) and occupies an impact crater measuring 1.83 km (1.14 mi) in diameter and 150 m (490 ft) deep.[2][3] The crater rim is raised about 20 m (66 ft) from the surrounding land,[4] and the crater walls dip at an angle between 5 and 25°.[5]

It is a saline and a highly alkaline lake, lying within an endorheic basin.[1] The basin is nearly circular in shape except on its northeastern side, where silt deposition has formed raised mud flats.[1][2]

Formation and geology

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The impact crater on which the lake lies was formed by the hypervelocity impact of a two million tonne meteorite.[2] The site is located in the Deccan Traps, a large igneous province in the Deccan Plateau composed of predominantly of basalt dating to about 66 Ma.[2][6] The lake was initially thought to be of volcanic origin, but geological investigations established the crater's impact origin. Coarse breccia containing shatter cones and maskelynite-bearing have been recovered from drill cores beneath the crater floor, providing evidence of shock metamorphism associated with the impact.[2][4][7] While earlier thermoluminescence analyses dated the structure to 52 ± 6 ka, subsequent argon-argon dating (40Ar/39Ar) yielded a much older age of 570 ± 47 ka.[8][9] However, the 40Ar/39Ar age has been disputed, as inherited argon in the samples may have resulted in an overestimation of the crater's age.[10]

NASA satellite image of the crater

Lonar is the only terrestrial impact crater in the world that is formed entirely within basalt.[5] The exposed rocks in the crater are compact, vesicular, and amygdaloidal basalt. The basalt flows dip away from the depression and successive lava flows are separated by red or bole coloured beds in places.[2] The crater wall consists of 3 to 20 m (9.8 to 65.6 ft) thick, subhorizontal pahoehoe-like basaltic lava flows with vesicular tops and bottoms and dense interiors. The lavas are aphanitic and tholeiitic basalts, containing rare plagioclase and microphenocrysts. The crater wall shows no major faults, although rare faults with offsets of less than 10 m (33 ft) occur.[5] A 2019 study conducted by IIT Bombay found that the minerals in soil samples from the crater were similar to those found in lunar rocks brough to Earth by the Apollo missions.[11]

The impact crater is surrounded by a layer of debris formed from volcanic ejecta. This ejecta blanket extends about 2 km (1.2 mi) from the crater center. It is thickest near the crater rim and becomes thinner and discontinuous toward its outer edge.[2][5] The ejecta blanket shows significant radial mass movement after deposition, forming layered structures similar to those seen on Mars. This movement formed a debris flow that travelled at estimated speeds of tens of metres per second. The ejecta consists of large, disrupted blocks near the crater and smaller, poorly sorted debris farther away.[5] Glassy objects of varying sizes, up to 50 mm (2.0 in) in diameter and resembling meteorite impact melts, have been recovered from the ejecta blanket.[12] Impact glass is preserved mainly on older, undisturbed surfaces as erosion and agricultural activity has resulted in the removal of much of the ejecta to the south and southwest.[5]

The lake lacks an outflow, resulting in high concentrations of dissolved minerals. Its water is alkaline, with reported pH values generally ranging from about 9 to 10.5, although pH and other chemical characteristics vary spatially and seasonally.[1][13]

Biodiversity

[edit]
Lake water changing colour from green to reddish-pink in June 2020

Despite its high salinity and alkalinity, the lake supports a diverse community of microorganisms, such as bacteria, archaea, micro-eukaryotes, and phytoplankton.[14][15][16] Several species of bacteria have been reported from the lake, including several species first described from Lonar Lake.[17][18][19] These include Nitritalea halalkaliphila,[20] Indibacter alkaliphilus,[21] Cecembia lonarensis,[22] Georgenia satyanarayanai,[23] Cohaesibacter haloalkalitolerans,[24] and Nesterenkonia cremea.[25] The new fungal species Curvularia lonarensis was described from water samples collected from the lake.[26] Dense blooms of cyanobacteria, such as of the genus Arthrospira, give the lake its characteristic green colour.[27] In early June 2020, the lake changed from its characteristic green colour to a reddish-pink colour within two to three days.[28][29] Studies suggested that increased salinity associated with low water levels favoured the growth of Halobacterium and increased carotenoid levels, which in turn led to colour change.[30][31]

The area surrounding the lake supports diverse wildlife and vegetation, sustained by freshwater springs.[1] Tectona grandis, Wrightia tinctoria, Butea monosperma, and Helicteres isora occur on the crater slopes, while thorny shrubs such as Acacia nilotica and species of Ziziphus occur in the surrounding vegetation. Non-native Neltuma juliflora is widespread on the lakeshore.[32] A total of 12 species of mammals, 160 species of birds, and 46 species of reptiles have been reported from the area surrounding the lake.[1] These include the grey wolf (Canis lupus), Indian gazelle (Gazella bennettii), common langur (Semnopithecus entellus), Indian grey mongoose (Urva edwardsii), barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak), Asian woollyneck (Ciconia episcopus), common pochard (Aythya ferina), Ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea), black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus), Brahminy duck (Tadorna ferruginea), red-wattled lapwing (Vanellus indicus), Indian golden oriole (Oriolus kundoo), common tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius), and baya weaver (Ploceus philippinus).[1][33] Other animals and birds found in the region include bluejays, hoopoes, barn owls, larks, parakeet, peafowl, bats, snakes, scorpions, monitor lizards, and other amphibians and insects.[33]

History and religion

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There are descriptions in the Skanda Purana (8th century) and Ain-i-Akbari (16th century) that have been associated with the lake, although this identification has not been conclusively established.[2][34] The area surrounding the crater is home to several Hindu temples in the Chalukya and Hemadpanti architectures. These include the partially submerged Shankar Ganesha temple, Ram Gaya temple, Kamalja Devi temple, and Sita Nahani temple.[33] The Daitya Sudan Temple is associated with the legend of Vishnu slaying the asura Lonasura, from whom the name "Lonar" is traditionally said to be derived.[35] The crater was identified in 1823 by a British officer named C.J.E. Alexander.[2][4]

Threats and conservation

[edit]

The Lonar Lake is threatened by the use of fertilisers, and pesticides on nearby agricultural fields, as well as littering and sewage dumping, which contribute to water pollution. Illegal logging, deforestation, illicit mining, and commercial construction in the vicinity of the lake have altered the surrounding natural topography.[36][37]

The Lonar Lake was designated as a National Geological Monument by the Geological Survey of India in 1979.[2] The Government of Maharashtra established the Lonar Wildlife Sanctuary on 8 September 2000 to protect the area surrounding the lake. The lake itself was incorporated into the sanctuary in November 2016.[38] On 21 February 2017, the lake and its surrounding area were designated as an "Eco-sensitive Zone".[39] In November 2020, the lake was designated as a protected Ramsar site.[40][41] In 2022, the state government announced plans to develop the site as a geo-tourism destination.[42]

See also

[edit]
Craters in India
  • Dhala crater – Impact structure in India
  • Luna crater – Impact crater in Luna, Gujarat, India
  • Ramgarh crater – Impact crater in Rajasthan
  • Shiva crater – Alleged impact crater west of India
Related lists

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Lonar Lake". Ramsar Convention. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 National Geo-heritage of India (PDF) (Report). Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage. pp. 66–68. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 January 2017.
  3. ↑ "Lonar". Earth Impact Database. The Planetary and Space Science Center, University of New Brunswick. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2008.
  4. 1 2 3 Dhayade, Kundan, ed. (29 November 2004). "Lonar Crater". NASA Earth Observatory. Archived from the original on 19 August 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Maloof, A. C.; Stewart, S. T.; Swanson-Hysell1, N.; Louzada, K. L.; Garrick-Bethell, I.; Soule, S. A.; Weiss, B. P. (2007). "Lonar crater, India: an analog for martian impact craters" (PDF). Lunar and Planetary Science. XXXVIII. Lunar and Planetary Institute, Universities Space Research Association. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 September 2008. Retrieved 2 September 2008.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ Hofmann, C.; Féraud, G.; Courtillot, V. (30 July 2000). "40Ar/39Ar dating of mineral separates and whole rocks from the Western Ghats lava pile: further constraints on duration and age of the Deccan traps". Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 180 (1–2): 13–27. doi:10.1016/S0012-821X(00)00159-X. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  7. ↑ Chakrabarti, Ramananda; Basu, Asish R. (30 July 2006). "Trace element and isotopic evidence for Archean basement in the Lonar crater impact breccia, Deccan Volcanic Province". Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 247 (3–4): 197–211.
  8. ↑ Jourdan, F.; Moynier, F.; Koeberl, C.; Eroglu, S. (1 July 2011). "40Ar/39Ar age of the Lonar crater and consequence for the geochronology of planetary impacts". Geology. 39 (7): 671–674. Bibcode:2011Geo....39..671J. doi:10.1130/G31888.1. ISSN 0091-7613.
  9. ↑ Schmieder, Martin; Kring, David A. (2020). "Earth's impact events through geologic time: A List of Recommended Ages for Terrestrial Impact Structures and Deposits". Astrobiology. 20 (1): 91–141. Bibcode:2020AsBio..20...91S. doi:10.1089/ast.2019.2085. PMC 6987741. PMID 31880475.
  10. ↑ Nakamura, Atsunori; Yokoyama, Yusuke; Sekine, Yasuhito; Goto, Kazuhisa; Komatsu, Goro; Kumar, P. Senthil; Matsuzaki, Hiroyuki; Kaneoka, Ichiro; Matsui, Takafumi (August 2014). "Formation and geomorphologic history of the Lonar impact crater deduced from in situ cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al". Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. 15 (8): 3190–3197. doi:10.1002/2014GC005376.
  11. ↑ Fernandes, Snehal (25 March 2019). "Mineral contents of Buldhana's Lonar lake similar to moon rocks: IIT-Bombay study". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  12. ↑ Nayak, V. K. (February 1972). "Glassy objects (impactite glasses?) a possible new evidence for meteoritic origin of the Lonar Crater, Maharashtra State, India". Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 14 (1): 1–6. doi:10.1016/0012-821X(72)90070-2.
  13. ↑ Prasad, Sushma; Anoop, A.; Riedel, N.; Sarkar, S.; Menzel, P.; Basavaiah, N.; Krishnan, R.; Fuller, D.; Plessen, B.; Gaye, B.; Röhl, U.; Wilkes, H.; Sachse, D.; Sawant, R.; Wiesner, M. G.; Stebich, M. (1 April 2014). "Prolonged monsoon droughts and links to Indo-Pacific warm pool: A Holocene record from Lonar Lake, central India". Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 391: 171–182. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2014.01.022. hdl:10261/414785. Archived from the original on 16 April 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  14. ↑ Paul, Dhiraj; Kumbhare, Shreyas V.; Mhatre, Snehit S.; Chowdhury, Somak P.; Shetty, Sudarshan A.; Marathe, Nachiket P.; Bhute, Shrikant; Shouche, Yogesh S. (22 January 2016). "Exploration of Microbial Diversity and Community Structure of Lonar Lake: The Only Hypersaline Meteorite Crater Lake within Basalt Rock". Frontiers in Microbiology. 6: 1553. Bibcode:2016FrMic...601553P. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2015.01553. ISSN 1664-302X. PMC 4722114. PMID 26834712.
  15. ↑ Joshi, Amarja A.; Kanekar, Pradnya P.; Kelkar, Anita S.; Shouche, Yogesh S.; Vani, Aijaz A.; Borgave, Suchitra B.; Sarnaik, Seema S. (1 February 2008). "Cultivable Bacterial Diversity of Alkaline Lonar Lake, India". Microbial Ecology. 55 (2): 163–172. Bibcode:2008MicEc..55..163J. doi:10.1007/s00248-007-9264-8. ISSN 1432-184X. PMID 17604989.
  16. ↑ Antony, Chakkiath Paul; Kumaresan, Deepak; Hunger, Sindy; Drake, Harold L.; Murrell, J. Colin; Shouche, Yogesh S. (March 2013). "Microbiology of Lonar Lake and other soda lakes". ISME Journal. 7 (3): 468–476. Bibcode:2013ISMEJ...7..468P. doi:10.1038/ismej.2012.137. PMC 3578565. PMID 23178675.
  17. ↑ Surakasi, Venkata Prasad; Wani, Aijaz Ahmad; Shouche, Yogesh S.; Ranade, Dilip R. (November 2007). "Phylogenetic analysis of methanogenic enrichment cultures obtained from Lonar Lake in India: isolation of Methanocalculus sp. and Methanoculleus sp". Microbial Ecology. 54 (4): 697–704. Bibcode:2007MicEc..54..697S. doi:10.1007/s00248-007-9228-z. PMID 17483868.
  18. ↑ Wani, Aijaz Ahmad; Surakasi, Venkata Prasad; Siddharth, Jay; Raghavan, Raamesh Gowri; Patole, Milind S.; Ranade, Dilip; Shouche, Yogesh S. (1 December 2006). "Molecular analyses of microbial diversity associated with the Lonar soda lake in India: An impact crater in a basalt area". Research in Microbiology. 157 (10): 928–937. doi:10.1016/j.resmic.2006.08.005. ISSN 0923-2508. PMID 17070674. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  19. ↑ Antony, Chakkiath Paul; Shimpi, Gaurav G.; Cockell, Charles S.; Patole, Milind S.; Shouche, Yogesh S. (3 July 2014). "Molecular Characterization of Prokaryotic Communities Associated with Lonar Crater Basalts". Geomicrobiology Journal. 31 (6): 519–528. Bibcode:2014GmbJ...31..519A. doi:10.1080/01490451.2013.849314. ISSN 0149-0451.
  20. ↑ Anil Kumar, P.; Srinivas, T. N. R.; Pavan Kumar, P.; Madhu, S.; Shivaji, S. (2010). "Nitritalea halalkaliphila gen. nov., sp. nov., an alkaliphilic bacterium of the family 'Cyclobacteriaceae', phylum Bacteroidetes". International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 60 (10): 2320–2325. doi:10.1099/ijs.0.020230-0. ISSN 1466-5034. PMID 19933591. Archived from the original on 13 July 2026. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  21. ↑ Anil Kumar, P.; Srinivas, T. N. R.; Madhu, S.; Manorama, R.; Shivaji, S. (2010). "Indibacter alkaliphilus gen. nov., sp. nov., an alkaliphilic bacterium isolated from a haloalkaline lake". International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 60 (4): 721–726. doi:10.1099/ijs.0.014076-0. ISSN 1466-5034. Archived from the original on 13 July 2026. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  22. ↑ Anil Kumar, P.; Srinivas, T. N. R.; Madhu, S.; Sravan, R.; Singh, Shashi; Naqvi, S. W. A.; Mayilraj, S.; Shivaji, S. (2012). "Cecembia lonarensis gen. nov., sp. nov., a haloalkalitolerant bacterium of the family Cyclobacteriaceae, isolated from a haloalkaline lake and emended descriptions of the genera Indibacter, Nitritalea and Belliella". International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 62 (Pt_9): 2252–2258. doi:10.1099/ijs.0.038604-0. ISSN 1466-5034. PMID 22081718. Archived from the original on 9 July 2026. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  23. ↑ Srinivas, A.; Rahul, K.; Sasikala, Ch.; Subhash, Y.; Ramaprasad, E. V. V.; Ramana, Ch. V. (2012). "Georgenia satyanarayanai sp. nov., an alkaliphilic and thermotolerant amylase-producing actinobacterium isolated from a soda lake". International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 62 (Pt_10): 2405–2409. doi:10.1099/ijs.0.036210-0. ISSN 1466-5034. PMID 22140168. Archived from the original on 14 July 2026. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  24. ↑ Sultanpuram, Vishnuvardhan Reddy; Lodha, Tushar Dilipchand; Chintalapati, Venkata Ramana; Chintalapati, Sasikala (2013). "Cohaesibacter haloalkalitolerans sp. nov., isolated from a soda lake, and emended description of the genus Cohaesibacter". International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 63 (Pt_11): 4271–4276. doi:10.1099/ijs.0.050112-0. ISSN 1466-5034. PMID 23811140. Archived from the original on 11 July 2026. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  25. ↑ Sultanpuram, Vishnuvardhan Reddy; Mothe, Thirumala; Chintalapati, Sasikala; Chintalapati, Venkata Ramana (2017). "Nesterenkonia cremea sp. nov., a bacterium isolated from a soda lake". International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 67 (6): 1861–1866. doi:10.1099/ijsem.0.001876. ISSN 1466-5034. PMID 28665262. Archived from the original on 14 July 2026. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  26. ↑ Sharma, Rahul; Prakash, Om; Sonawane, Mahesh S.; Nimonkar, Yogesh; Golellu, Priyanka B.; Sharma, Rohit (2016). "Diversity and distribution of phenol oxidase producing fungi from soda lake and description of Curvularia lonarensis sp. nov". Frontiers in Microbiology. 7: 1847. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2016.01847. PMC 5118452. PMID 27920761.
  27. ↑ Surakasi, Venkata Prasad; Antony, Chakkiath Paul; Sharma, Sashikant; Patole, Milind S.; Shouche, Yogesh S. (2010). "Temporal bacterial diversity and detection of putative methanotrophs in surface mats of Lonar crater lake". Journal of Basic Microbiology. 50 (5): 465–474. Bibcode:2010JBMic..50..465S. doi:10.1002/jobm.201000001. ISSN 1521-4028. PMID 20586073.
  28. ↑ "Lonar Lake changes color from green to pink". NASA Earth Observatory. 19 June 2020. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  29. ↑ Taneja, Nidhi (10 June 2020). "Lonar Lake in Maharashtra mysteriously turns red; officials baffled". India TV. Archived from the original on 10 June 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  30. ↑ "Pink hue in Lonar Lake due to salt-loving bacteria, says report". Hindustan Times. 19 July 2020. Archived from the original on 19 July 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  31. ↑ Gole, Swati Shinde (18 July 2020). "ARI says bacteria tinged Lonar lake's surface pink". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 1 December 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  32. ↑ Riedel, Nils; Stebich, Martina; Anoop, Ambili; Basavaiah, Nathani; Menzel, Philip; Prasad, Sushma; Sachse, Dirk; Sarkar, Saswati; Wiesner, Martin (12 June 2015). "Modern pollen vegetation relationships in a dry deciduous monsoon forest: A case study from Lonar Crater Lake, central India". Quaternary International. Updated Quaternary Climatic Research in parts of the Third Pole Selected papers from the HOPE-2013 conference, Nainital, India. 371: 268–279. Bibcode:2015QuInt.371..268R. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2015.01.046. ISSN 1040-6182.
  33. 1 2 3 Deshpande, Rashmi (3 December 2014). "The Meteor Mystery Behind Lonar Lake". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 6 January 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  34. ↑ "Lonar Crater". Government of Maharashtra. Archived from the original on 17 March 2026. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  35. ↑ Arya, Pranay (22 October 2025). "Daitya Sudan Temple, Lonar: The 13th Century Giant Slayer's Hidden Marvel". The News Dirt. Archived from the original on 13 July 2026. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  36. ↑ "Sewage threat looms over unique Lonar crater lake". The Times of India. 13 December 2013. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 14 July 2026. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  37. ↑ "Pune-based environmentalists urge MoEF to protect Lonar crater". The Indian Express. 9 March 2016. Archived from the original on 1 February 2026. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  38. ↑ "Lonar crater now included in its wildlife sanctuary, move lauded". The Times of India. 1 December 2016. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 14 July 2026. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  39. ↑ "Lonar Wildlife Sanctuary" (PDF). Gazette of India. 28 February 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 December 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  40. ↑ "Lonar's meteor lake declared Ramsar site". The Indian Express. 13 November 2020. Archived from the original on 11 July 2026. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  41. ↑ "India names two more Wetlands of International Importance". Ramsar Convention. 11 November 2020. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  42. ↑ "Lonar Lake in Maharashtra to be developed as a tourist spot; govt approves INR 370 cr". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 30 July 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
[edit]
  • Lonar, A Gem of Craters SPARK Volume 2, K-12 outreach, Space Science and Engineering Centre, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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