[meteorite-list] Lonar Crater in India to be Promoted as Tourist Spot

[Ron Baalke]

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1121594

Maharastra to promote Lonar crater site as tourist spot
PTI
September 16, 2007

MUMBAI: In a bid to attract tourists to Lonar crater, considered to be
the third largest crater in the world, Maharashtra Tourism Development
Corporation (MTDC) is setting up an interpretation centre- cum-museum to
let the people understand its significance.

The museum cum interpretation centre is likely to cost around Rs 3
crore, a senior official of MTDC said.

This crater situated in Buldhana district of Maharashtra is believed to
have been formed nearly 50,000 years ago when a two million ton hyper
velocity meteorite impacted the earth to create a depression 1.83 kms in
diameter and 150 meters deep.

"We are planning to set up the museum which will give the tourist
complete information about the meteorite impact craters with
multimedia," Bhushan Gagrani the Managing director of MTDC said.

The museum will contain meteorite objects, rocks, pictures and other
materials to promote this site as tourist destination.

Situated on the outskirts of Lonar town, this crater was first
discovered in 1823 by J E Alexander and is written about in ancient
scripts like the Skanda puran, Parma Puran and the Aina-I-Akbar.

MTDC already has put up a resort in the vicinity of the crater from
where one can see its panaromic view and the beautiful eco system
surrounding it.

The crater is a home to hundreds of peafowl, chinkara and gazelles,
which browse among the shrubs and bushes ringing the lake. Other
residents includes egrets, moor hens, herons, coots, white-necked
storks, lapwings, gra wagtails, grebes, black droungos, green bee
eaters, tailor-birds, mapgies and robins.

Lonar crater is an interesting place for the earth scientists to study
how meteors scar the surface of the earth like surfaces of other crater
dented planets such as Mars.