Lonar Lake in Maharashtra
The formation and the basic description of the Lonar Lake.
Located in Buldhana district, Aurangabad, Lonar is one of the well known places in Maharashtra. Lonar became famous because of its lake which is a result of a meteor hit. It is said that around million years ago, this place was hit by a meteor.
The impact was so huge that the earth developed a crater which could happen only because of the hyper velocity meteorite impact. This crater had developed on a basalt rock. Hence the lake that evolved in this crater was salty and alkaline in nature due to the presence of basalt rock.
This lake is around 500 m deep and 1.7 km in diameter. The lake is engulfed by low hills from all the side which gives it an oval shape. These hills are covered with dense trees which form a strong circle or rings around the lake. Each ring or lake is formed due to the presence of densely populated trees of the same origin like the tamarind tree or the babul tree or even the teak tree. Other than the trees the inner area right before the lake is covered with slimy, muddy soil.
There are around two streams that drain into the lake. Other than that there is sweet water well present on the south side of the lake. Though initially, it was assumed that the formation of this lake was due to the result of a volcanic eruption, later on the fact was proved that it wasn't a volcano but a meteor hit that resulted in the formation of the crater.
Lonar Lake finds its inclusion in the Puranas and other ancient scriptures including the Aaina-i-Akbari. There is a legendary tale attached to its formation. It is said that this lake or the crater was once a house to one of the most dangerous giant, Lonasur who was destroyed by Lord Vishnu. There are around five to six varieties of salt found in Lonar Lake. Though these salts are more of carbonates other than chlorides, still one can find various such quantities of salt lying on the periphery of the lake.
