Do you ever make a wish looking at a shooting star? Scientifically speaking, shooting stars are nothing but fragments of celestial bodies entering into the atmosphere of the earth.
Most of the fragments of meteors, asteroids, and comets burn off, but large pieces of it occasionally hit the surface of the earth. Similarly, a massive blazing fireball, weighing between 1 and 2 million tons swept through space at a rushing speed of 90,000 kilometers per hour. It crashed into the surface of the earth 50,000 years ago with a fiery force and created a deep cradle-like depression on the Deccan plateau’s rock-solid surface, in the heart of Maharashtra. The blazing fireball rammed into the earth’s surface and exploded, further causing an eruption that spewed molten rock, creating a striking trough.
Even though it was a paltry chip of the moon, it left behind a massive dent with a depth of 150 meters and a width of 1.8 kilometers. Over the years a perennial stream filled the caldera and transformed it into a tranquil natural lake with emerald-green water, now known as Lonarlake. This lake is Maharashtra's best-kept secret. Lonar is the only lake on the earth that was formed as a result of hyper-velocity impact in Basaltic rock. Despite all its rareness, not many people have heard of Lonar apart from the occasional trekkers and the locals. For a long time, the lake remained unknown to the mass, as people believed the banks of the lake to be swamps of quicksand until its discovery in 1823 by J.E. Alexander, a British explorer.
The Lonarlake has aroused curiosity amongst the officials of the Geological Survey of India and NASA scientists, who have attempted to answer the questions such as: How is the lake saline and alkaline at the same time? Why does the lake support the breeding of micro-organisms that are rarely found elsewhere on the planet? Why do compasses stop working near some parts of the lake? Why did the water of Lonar turn pink in recent times?
The lake has two distinct regions, of which one is alkaline and the other neutral, and the alkalinity increases towards the center. As per the claims of Dr. Dhakephalkar, the lake changed its color owing to the presence of the Haloarchaea bacteria that produces a pink pigment and saturated water is suitable for its growth. Furthermore, scientists believe that the turbulent behavior of the compasses occurs due to interferences caused by electromagnetic forces making the equipment go haywire, as objects from outer space are usually more electromagnetic. While some questions can be answered, others remain a mystery.
If you ever visit the lake, do not forget to carry a litmus paper with you to test the water.
