Luna crater

Luna crater is an impact crater at Luna village in Bhuj taluka of Kutch district of Gujarat, India. The crater is located in a low-lying, soft, flat area and appears unconventional and deceptive when compared to other craters in India, which are usually found on hard, rocky surfaces.[1]

It is 70km west of Kutch city, 80 km northwest of Bhuj town, and 400 km northwest of Ahemdabad.

Description

Rock fragments and glasslike materials found at the site indicate a meteorite impact, the date of which has tentatively been put at around 2000 BCE.[2] The crater, located in the Rann of Kutch, is circular, with a diameter of 1.2 kilometres (3⁄4 mi), and its lowest point is only about 2 metres (6.6 ft) above sea level.[3]

Crater is visibly a kilometre-wide, but the satellite radar imagery shows it is spread over a five kilometres radius. Since it lacks lacks the characteristics of a typical impact site, it is a unique site in the world, it has a very low depth to diameter ratio. A round lake of 1 sqkm in area and 2 meter in depth lies in the centre of crater, which remains dry during summers. Crater depression is covered with thick vegetation of horny Acacia species Acacia nilotica and Prosopis juilfor. Rim of the crater, with up-turned beds and shutter cone, has no hard rocks. "X-ray analysis of the materials adhering to meteorite fragments carried out by Dr George Mathew, Earth Science Department, the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay reveal stishovite and coesite, the high pressure polymorphs of silica, which confirms the impact origin of the crater."[4]

Among the various objects/products expected in an impact site, (a) fragments appearing like metallic meteorites that are dark, heavy and magnetic with spherical cavities are found at the rim of the suspected crater, and (b) glassy objects comparable to tektites have been recovered. [5]

Religious significance

Luna Dham Temple lies in the north end of the crater.

More potential craters in Kutch

The satellite data indicates that there could be a few more craters within the Kutch, which are hidden by the subsequent denudational activities.[4]

See also
Impact craters in India
Other related topics

References
  1. Karanth, R. V. "The Unusual Impact Crater of Luna in Kachchh, Western India". Journal of Geo Society of India. Geological society of India. 68 (November 2006). Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  2. Mudur, G S (24 October 2006). "Giant crater puzzle in Kutch" (The telegraph). The Telegraph Kolkotta. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  3. PTI (23 October 2006). "Vedic age crater found in Rann of Kutch". The Times of India. The Times of India. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  4. R V Karan, The Unusual Impact Crater of Luna In Kachchh, Western India, Journal of Geological Society of India, Vol 68, Nov 2006.
  5. R V Karan, R. V. Karanth, P. S. Thakker And M. S. Gadhavi, A Preliminary Report on The Possible Impact Crater of Kachchh, Current Science, Vol. 91, No. 7, 10 Oct 2006.

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