Lonar Crater Lake

Lonar is a hypervelocity impact crater about 1.8 kilometres across and 150 metres deep, in Deccan basalt, dated by earlier studies to about 52,000 years ago and by a later, disputed argon method to some 570,000 years, which makes it unusual: most terrestrial craters are in sedimentary rock, and this one is studied as an analogue for craters on the Moon and Mars. The lake at the bottom is both saline and alkaline at once, an uncommon combination, and in June 2020 it turned pink over a few days as salt-tolerant algae bloomed in unusually low water. Temples from the Chalukya period stand around and inside the rim, and the crater walls are forested with a path descending to the shore.

History

The crater was formed by a hypervelocity meteorite impact; earlier studies dated it to 52 ± 6 thousand years ago, while a later argon-argon date of 570 ± 47 thousand years is disputed. Descriptions in the Skanda Purana and the Ain-i-Akbari have been linked to the lake, though not conclusively, and temples in the Chalukya and Hemadpanti styles stand around it, among them the partly submerged Shankar Ganesha temple (Wikipedia, Lonar Lake).

The landscape

• The crater - a basalt impact bowl 1.8 kilometres across.
• The lake - saline and alkaline water at the bottom.
• The rim temples - Chalukya-period shrines around and inside the crater.
• The descent path - a walk through forest down to the shore.

When to go

October to March; the crater is hot and exposed in summer. Mornings are best for the descent. The lake level and colour vary with rainfall and evaporation.

Practical notes

The descent and climb back are steep and hot with limited shade. Facilities at the site are minimal. The pink colour of 2020 was exceptional, not typical, and should not be expected.

Nearby

Aurangabad lies west; Ajanta is northwest.

Key facts