Current Status of World’s Third Largest Meteoritic Crater - Lonar Lake, India
Keywords:
Current status, Meteoritic crater, Lonar Lake, Physico-chemical parametersAbstract
Lonar Lake, the world’s third largest meteorite crater, is located in the Buldhana district of Maharashtra, India. It is the only saline water body of its kind in the world. The lake is nestled within a circular depression, surrounded by steep escarpments formed by an ejecta blanket. One of its most distinctive features is that it has an inlet but no outlet, which has led to its unusual and climate-driven isolation. Before 1985, the lake would dry up completely each summer, leaving behind a crust of salt along its shores. Local residents of Lonar town would collect this salt for making papads and washing clothes. During a study conducted between 1999 and 2004, the lake’s water level rose by about six feet. Since then, the water level has continued to climb steadily. Today (2026), the situation has become alarming—the water level has risen by more than 20 feet compared to earlier records. This significant increase has drastically altered the lake’s physico-chemical conditions, which in turn is affecting the biodiversity of the lake and its surrounding area.
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