[meteorite-list] India`s Lonar Impact Crater in Peril

From: drtanuki <drtanuki_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed Nov 16 22:38:30 2005
Message-ID: <20051117033828.90166.qmail_at_web53213.mail.yahoo.com>

Dear List,
  This was forwarded to me ; the persons on the list
that are interested in impact craters may find this of
interest. Best, Dirk Ross...Tokyo

>
> Lonar's declining salinity cause for worry, say
> experts
> Correspondent : G. Chandrashekhar
> SOURCE : The Indian Express, Wednesday, October 19,
> 2005
>
>
> Pune, October 18: LONAR lake, Buldhana district's
> unique geological feature, has fascinated scientists
> for decades. The formation of the saline lake has
> been widely attributed to a meteor impact. But
> recent
> studies of the water by scientists from Agharkar
> Research Institute (ARI), Pune, say the lake is
> losing its unique chemical properties to human
> interference.
>
> Also, the salinity has been decreasing at an
> alarming
> rate, which may lead to extinction of several
> microbial species that thrive in it. ''In 10 years,
> the salinity has come down drastically - tenth of
> what
> it used to be,'' says ARI microbiologist Pradnya
> Kanekar. The studies were conducted between
> November 1993 and January 2002.
>
> A concerned Kanekar says the ph rate (which
> determines
> the acidic or alkaline nature of a substance) has
> come
> down. ''It will adversely affect
> the unique ecosystem of the lake. Many varieties of
> halophilic (salt loving) and alkaliphilic (alkaline
> system loving) microbes survive in the water.
> They will be endangered by the change.'' She warns,
> ''
> Lonar will become like any freshwater lake in the
> region.''
>
> The lake is fed by many sweetwater springs that
> originate at the top of the hills surrounding the
> lake. Kanekar says human interference like removal
> of
> salt from the lake's bed during summer and pipes
> that
> discharge fresh water into it could be the reasons
> for
> the salinity going down.
>
> Her concern is shared by Geological Survey of
> India's
> senior deputy director-general (operations) and
> Lonar
> expert K.G. Bhoskar, who is likely to initiate a new
> study. ''Usually, the salinity changes due to rain.
> However, if there has been a steady decline in
> salinity, it is cause for concern,'' said Bhoskar.
> But
> there are bureaucratic wheels that will have to
> roll. ''We can only make suggestions to the
> government
> which will have to take appropriate action,'' he
> added.
>
> Lonar's birth
>
> LONAR is the only crater lake found in basaltic
> rock.
> It is suspected to have been formed after a meteor
> impact. The saline lake is 100 meters deep
> with a diameter of 1,830 meters. Studies by GSI
> geologists and scientists the world over indicate
> that
> the lake was formed some 15,000 to 30,000 years
> ago.
>
>
Received on Wed 16 Nov 2005 10:38:28 PM PST