Lonar Lake in Maharashtra: Where Compasses Malfunction and the Sand is Magnetic

Approximately 52,000 years ago, a colossal meteor impact in Maharashtra created one of nature's hidden gems: Lonar Lake. This extraordinary crater, formed by a meteor weighing 2 million tons traveling at an estimated speed of 90,000 kmph, stands out among the many meteor impacts on Earth. From above, Lonar Lake might look like any other body of water. However, this almost perfectly oval lake is one of only two natural craters in the world made entirely of basalt, a dark, fine-grained volcanic rock. Its waters are seven times saltier than seawater,...