Lonar lake is a hypervelocity impact crater formed in a basaltic terrain of Deccan Traps in the state of Maharashtra, India. The crater has an approximate radius of 915 m and an average depth of about 137 m. Here we report the results of our numerical investigations aimed to elucidate the physical characteristics of incoming asteroid. For realistic simulation, we not only consider basalt but also basalt with granite basin as the surface of impact. Because most of the characteristics of impactors are unknown we sample the phase space of physics characters and determine the possible bounds of its properties. Among the handful of potential candidates, we believe the incoming asteroid was an iron-rich body of about 52m in radius hitting the surface at 60km/s. Our analysis also shows that the impact created a transient crater of 414m in depth leaving underlying granite basin more or less intact.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.