Impact Crater in Kutch district

Blob · #1 (**permalink**) 23-October-2006, 10:33 PM

Indian geologists claim to have discovered a possible Impact Crater in Kutch district of Gujarat dating back to the Vedic period.
The crater, suspected to have been formed by the impact of an extra-terrestrial object, is seen as a circular feature near Luna village in the northwestern Banni Plains of the Great Rann in Kutch district.
The site - the third in the country after Lonar in Maharashtra and Ramgarh in Rajasthan - is located about a kilometre away from a human settlement belonging to the Harappan period and may have found reference in ancient Sanskrit texts, which mention the "impact of a burning extraterrestrial object" in western India some 4,000-5,000 years ago.

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Latitude 23.704811°N Longitude 69.260433° E

A preliminary report on the possible impact crater of Kachchh

Only a few craters formed due to the impact of extraterrestrial objects are known in India, e.g. Lonar crater of Maharashtra, Ramgarh and Dhala. This is a preliminary report of yet another possible impact crater in Kachchh district of western India. While most other recognised craters are located within hard rocks, this possible impact crater has a special significance as it is located within an extremely low-lying, flat terrain comprising unconsolidated soft sediments, and its appearance is unconventional and deceptive.
Its importance is further augmented as an ancient human settlement belonging to the Harappan period is located about a kilometre southwest of the crater and the ancient Sanskrit texts refer to the impact of a burning extraterrestrial object in the western part of India some 4000–5000 years ago and the suspected area of impact happens to be the reat Rann in the district of Kachchh.

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Blob · #2 (**permalink**) 24-October-2006, 10:00 AM

Quote:

After finding meteorite-like objects and suspected “tektites”, the researchers are now planning to launch a search for high-pressure minerals.
They have called for a detailed study of the site, including references to it in ancient Sanskrit texts to ascertain whether the crater led to the wiping out of the Harappan civilisation, which flourished between 3000 BC and 1500 BC.

Source

Blob · #3 (**permalink**) 24-October-2006, 12:32 PM

Hum,
i wonder if the Umm al Binni Crater is related.

Quote:

A devastating meteor impact in the Middle East might have triggered the mysterious collapse of civilisations more than 4,000 years ago.
Studies of satellite images of southern Iraq have revealed a two-mile-wide circular depression which scientists say bears all the hallmarks of an impact crater. If confirmed, it would point to the Middle East being struck by a meteor with the violence equivalent to hundreds of nuclear bombs.
Today's crater lies on what would have been shallow sea 4,000 years ago, and any impact would have caused devastating fires and flooding.

A date of around 2300 BC for the impact may also cast new light on the legend of Gilgamesh, dating from the same period. The legend talks of "the Seven Judges of Hell", who raised their torches, lighting the land with flame, and a storm that turned day into night, "smashed the land like a cup", and flooded the area.

Also,

Quote:

In 1988 the observation was made that narrowest-ring events in Irish sub-fossil oak chronologies appeared to line up with large acidities in the Greenland ice records from Camp Century and Dye3. Three of the events, at tree-ring ages 2345 BC, 1628 BC and 1159 BC turned out to be of particular interest as they contributed to debates on the Hekla 4 eruption in Iceland, dated to 2310±20 CalBC, Santorini in the Aegean, dated to circa 1670-1530 CalBC, and, possibly, Hekla 3, linked to a 1120±30 BC acid layer.

Source ?

<attachment>
Latitude 30.355096° Longitude 48.640148°

The late Holocene Umm Al Binni meteorite impact structure in the marshlands of Southern Iraq.

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See also
Garden of Eden found!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harappan_Civilisation

mpai · #4 (**permalink**) 27-October-2006, 03:06 PM

Its only a preliminary report that has been filed in the Current Science magazine. So far no convenicing evidence has been found at the location. I happened to visit the area a few months ago and tried to look for the shocked quartz. Did not find any traces of impactites. Its a basalt country. The traces of glass tektites, as mentioned in the paper has to be examined to ensure that they show traces of a impact and not of volcanic region.

Futher, its too to call it the 3rd impact crater in the country. It is yet to be proven to be a meteorite crater. Work on two other craters is on. Dhala crater in Bundelkhand area, Central India and Elta, Raigadh in N.W. India.

The connection that this devastation might have be linked with the Harappan civilization is far fetched.

Blob · #5 (**permalink**) 27-October-2006, 03:50 PM

Hum,
indeed.
It is pure speculation until there is hard evidence.
Even the suspected impactites/tektites found so far, if confirmed, would not be convincing proof (ie that they were associated with the site).

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