Interesting Facts of Lonar Lake India

Yet another amazing place we visited while at Aurangabad was the mysterious Lonar Lake.

Lonar Lake Facts

• Lonar Lake is included in list of national geological heritage sites India by the Geological Survey of India (GSI).
• It is a meteoric crater and not a volcanic crater. Both are obviously different.
• This lake was first discovered by a British officer C.J.E Alexander in the year 1823.
• Lonar Lake India ranks among the world’s 5 largest craters and is the 3^rd largest saltwater lake in the world.
• Lonar Lake has been declared as Wildlife Sanctuary for the conservation and conservation of Lonar crater.
• The lake was declared a Ramsar site, a wetland of international importance, in November 2020, in recognition of its ecological and cultural value.

Hyper-velocity impact crater – Lonar Lake India

History of Lonar Lake

How lonar lake was formed? Now this is really intriguing… how did such a big lake appear or form? The guide who accompanied us gave a brief idea but reading up on this lake provided some more information.

Many interplanetary bodies move around in space. Some of these outer space bodies enter the Earth’s atmosphere; we call them shooting stars when we see them at night.

The small ones get burnt off and when a giant one hits the Earth’s surface we get Craters like that at LONAR 165km east of Aurangabad. This place was hit by a meteorite 52,000 years ago and it has left a dent in the surface of the earth like a huge circular bowl with a diameter of 2km!

The depth caused around 1.2km! It is a gentle slope with no cover of trees till you reach near the lake. From where I was standing, just before the descent to the Lonar Lake, it was not possible to capture the entire crater in one photo frame. I have put two pictures of it here.

Lake to your right

Lonar crater lake left side

“This is the only hyper velocity impact crater in Basaltic rock” mentioned on a plaque there. Many millions of meteorites must have hit the earth’s surface; of them many have got eroded and erased by the ravages of time.

Today only 140 craters in the surface of our world are in records. The Lonar Crater is one in the list and is situated in Buldhana district of Maharashtra. It is 165km. from Aurangabad.

References of Lonar Crater in Mythology

• There is mention of this crater in ancient scriptures like Padma Puran and Skanda Puran.
• The lake is referred to as Panchapsar in the Valmiki Ramayan. Epic poet Kalidas too has mentioned this lake in his literary work titled Raghuvansh around 16 centuries ago. The name Panchapsar was derived from the fact that there are as many as 5 streams which feed the lake.
• It is believed that when Lord Rama was flying overhead on his way from Sri Lanka to his kingdom Ayodhya, he showed a place to his Queen Sita. Researchers are of opinion that Lord Rama was referring to this lake at Lonar.
• There are references of it even in Aaina-e-Akbari, the third volume of the Akbarnama, authored during the later period of the Mughal era.
• Local legends say the lake was formed when a demon, Lonasur, was defeated by Lord Vishnu.

Discovery of Lonar Crater in Buldhana

It was sort of rediscovered by C J E Alexander in 1823. Interestingly the first opinion about it was that it was a volcanic crater. However after some research this was confirmed to be meteoric crater.

Geological Significance and Scientific Studies

This crater was declared as an impact crater after a lot of study and debates for almost a century and half. The initial confusion was over whether it is a volcanic crater as it was situated in the volcanic region of Deccan plateau.

In 1952, a geologist C A Cotton, in his work stated that there has been almost nil volcanic processes in the Indian subcontinent, and so he stated that Lonar Crater has meteoric origin.

Two other scientists N. C. Nandy and V. B. Deo surveyed the crater site and checked for volcanic remains like cooled lava. In 1964 Eugene C Lafond and Robert S. Dietz too came to the conclusion that it is an impact crater and estimated its origin to be about 52,000 years ago. This crater is thus stated to be one of the youngest craters in the world.

Lonar Crater Lake Geographical Facts

The crater is circular in shape and the depth to diameter ratio is typical of an impact crater. The raised rim of the crater is 20m above the surrounding. The surrounding rock dips away from the crater edge at angles of 14 to 27 degrees. These factors are indicative that the Lonar crater is of impact origin.

The crater floor is flat and is filled with saline water. The descent was steep, just rocks cut at some places and uncut for most part. Trekking here in monsoons can be a real challenge and adventurous one.

Flora and Fauna in Lonar Crater

As we descended the rim and reached the banks of the crater we found ourselves in a thick forest. I had read that the dense cover housed birds like peacocks, partridges, weaver birds, long beaked Green Bee Eaters and also animals like gazelle, iguana, and rabbits. We strained ourselves if we could spot any and all we could see there were a few langoors.

After that strenuous descent in scorching sun, the forest cover provided us the well deserved shade and cool breeze. The sounds of the birds, butterflies and the sights of scampering squirrels refreshed us a lot.

We kept walking and then all of a sudden there was this clearing among the huge trees and the lake was visible.

Mysterious crater lake in Lonar, Aurangabad

Water of Lonar Lake

Curiosity couldn’t hold us and we were in fact rushing the last few steps to get to the banks of Lonar Lake. I wanted to taste the water there, as I had read before that the water tasted salty.

One look at the water and I decided to be content with the visual treat of the emerald green water there. The water was not dirty, but it was green due to rich growth of algae in it.

Knowing that the lake is 1.2 km deep my kids were curious – Can you swim in Lonar Lake? Can you do scuba diving in Lonar lake? Can you do boating in Lonar Lake?…. endless questions. There is no such activity in and around the Lonar crater so I guess the answer to all above were a big NO.

Algae growth in Water of Lonar Lake

There is no outlet for this water body other than evaporation, which may be the reason for its salinity. Some water birds were swimming at a distance, which indicated the water was fit enough for animals to survive in it.

Ishani on seeing the boys there commented wishfully, “How lucky they are to have a whole crater to play around and swim in”! The boys there filled a bottle with crater water for us. They were in fact encouraging us to taste it for its salinity but we didn’t dare to.

Also read Temples around Lonar Lake

Location of Lonar Lake

Lonar is a town and municipal council in Buldhana district of Vidarbha region in Maharashtra, India. You can reach Lonar Lake by road from various big cities. Nearest airport is at Aurangabad. Distances from different cities is as below:

Nagpur – 360km
Buldhana in north west – 91.6km
Akola in northeast – 124km
Aurangabad – 160km
Ajanta caves – 140km
Mumbai – 550km

Where to Stay near Lonar Lake

Since I planned the vacation around Aurangabad, I stayed in Aurangabad city. But if you plan to explore Lonar Lake well then a stay just near the lake is advised. You can stay at the MTDC Buldhana Resort. It is a good option for food, we had lunch here.

Best Time to Visit Lonar Lake India

Winters is the best time (October to February). I planned my visit there during Christmas vacation of kids. Trek to Lonar Lake early part of day or after noon. In any case get back before sunset.

How deep is Lonar Lake?

The Lonar lake has a depth of 150 meters, and is surrounded by a rim of hills that rise up to 75 degrees. The lake has a diameter of 1.2 km.

Why is Lonar Lake India world famous?

Lonar Lake in India is a site of global interest, blending natural wonder with scientific and cultural significance. Lonar Lake is world famous for several reasons.

Lonar Lake is one of the few hyper-velocity impact craters in basaltic rock anywhere in the world. It is an important site for studying impact craters and planetary geology. The impact caused unique geological formations and changes in the basaltic rock, offering a rare opportunity to study such interactions. Researchers from around the world visit the lake to study its unique characteristics and draw parallels with similar extra-terrestrial impact sites.

Lonar Lake is both saline and alkaline, with a pH value around 10.5 to 12. This unusual combination of water chemistry supports unique microbial life forms and has implications for astrobiology, particularly the study of life in extreme environments. Its surroundings host a variety of plant and animal species, some of which are adapted to the saline-alkaline conditions. This biodiversity includes both flora and fauna that contribute to the lake’s ecological importance.

Last but not the least, the area around Lonar Lake has numerous ancient temples and is associated with various local legends and myths. This cultural heritage, combined with the lake’s natural wonder, attracts both scientists and tourists.

What is the mystery of colour change of Lonar Lake?

The mystery of the color change of Lonar Lake lies in its dramatic transformation from green to pink, a phenomenon influenced by a combination of biological and environmental factors. The primary cause of the color change is the presence of specific microorganisms that thrive in the lake’s unique saline and alkaline conditions.

Notably, Halobacteriaceae and Dunaliella salina are microorganisms that produce red and pink pigments. This is supported by the researchers in the Agharkar Research Institute. These microbes proliferate when conditions favor their growth, such as high salinity and alkalinity, and low water levels. During dry seasons, the lake’s water level decreases, leading to higher salinity and concentration of these microorganisms. They can change the lake’s color based on their metabolic activities and population dynamics.

The nutrient levels in the lake, influenced by runoff and other environmental factors, can lead to eutrophication, promoting the growth of algae and other microorganisms that contribute to the color changes.

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(This post was first published on March 18, 2008.)