Ramgarh crater

2021-12-12T07:25:56Z

2409:4055:4E9A:930E:F6B6:A2D1:976E:8178: Fixed typo

{{other uses|Ramgarh (disambiguation){{!}}Ramgarh}}
[[File:Ramgarh Crater.JPG|thumbnail|The Ramgarh Crater as seen from an aeroplane]]

'''Ramgarh crater''', also known as ''Ramgarh structure'', ''Ramgarh Dome'' and ''Ramgarh astrobleme'',<ref name=gsi/> is a meteor impact crater of {{convert|3.5|km}} diameter in [[Kota, Rajasthan|Kota plateau]] of [[Vindhya range]] located adjacent to Ramgarh village in [[Mangrol, Rajasthan|Mangrol]] tehsil of [[Baran district]] in [[Rajasthan]] state of [[India]].<ref name=gsi>{{cite web|last1=GSI|title=The curious ring structure of Ramgarh in Vindhyas of Rajastan|url=http://www.portal.gsi.gov.in/portal/page?_pageid=127,787831&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL|website=Geological Survey of India|publisher=Geological Survey of India|access-date=27 July 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203200608/http://www.portal.gsi.gov.in/portal/page?_pageid=127,787831&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL|archive-date=3 February 2016}}</ref> When formally accepted as the third crater in India, its diameter size would be between the two already confirmed craters in India - [[Dhala crater|Dhala]] in Madhya Pradesh with 14 km diameter and [[Lonar crater lake|Lonar]] in [[Buldhana district]] of Maharashtra with 1.8 km diameter.<ref name=study4/><ref name=misra>{{cite conference | first = S | last = Misra |author2=G. Lashkari |author3=D. Panda |author4=A. Dube |author5=M. S. Sisodia |author6=H. E. Newsom |author7=D. Sengupta | title = Geochemical Evidence for the Meteorite Impact Origin of Ramgarh Structure, India | book-title = Lunar and Planetary Science XXXIX | publisher =[[Lunar and Planetary Institute]] | year = 2008 | location = [[Houston, Texas]] | url = http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2008/pdf/1499.pdf | access-date = 2009-08-25 }}</ref><ref>{{cite conference | first = S | last = Misra |author2=A. Dube |author3=P. K. Srivastava |author4=H. E. Newsow | title = Time of Formation of Ramgarh Crater, India – Constraints from Geological Structures | book-title = Lunar and Planetary Science XXXIX | publisher =[[Lunar and Planetary Institute]] | year = 2008 | location = [[Houston, Texas]] | url = http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2008/pdf/1502.pdf | access-date = 2009-08-25 }}</ref><ref>{{cite conference | first = M.S | last = Sisodia |author2=G. Lashkari |author3=N.Bhandari | title = Impact Origin Of the Ramgarh Structure, Rajasthan : Some New Evidences | book-title = Journal of the Geological Society of India vol 67 pp 423–431 | year = 2006 | url = http://www.geosocindia.org/Ab.aspx | access-date = 2011-07-06 }}</ref>

It is designated as a [[List of National Geological Monuments in India|National Geological Monument]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/udaipur/Ramgarh-Zawar-accepted-as-geo-heritage-sites-in-Rajasthan/articleshow/55397382.cms|title=Ramgarh, Zawar accepted as geo-heritage sites in Rajasthan|work=The Times of India|access-date=2018-09-14}}</ref> The [[Bhand Deva Temple]], a 10th-century [[Shiva temple]] in the style of the [[Khajuraho Group of Monuments]], is located near the centre of the crater. [[Kuno National Park]], 50-60 km away, is accessible by multiple entry points via minor roads or [[National Highway 6 (India)|NH6]]. Crater lies 110 km from [[Kota, Rajasthan|Kota]], 250 from [[Jaipur]] and 500 km from [[Delhi]]. It is 200 km west of Lonar crater in Madhya Pradesh.

==Scientific studies==
The crater is yet to be fully investigated in a systematic way.<ref name=study1/> In 1869, crater was [[Geological_Survey_of_India#History|first visited]] by geologist [[Frederick Richard Mallet]]<ref name=study3>[[Frederick Richard Mallet|Mallet, F. R.]], 1869, Memoir, [[Geological Survey of India]], vol 7, page 129.</ref> of [[Geological Survey of India]] (GSI).<ref name=study1>BALASUNDARAM, M., DUBE, A. Ramgarh, 1973, "Structure, India", [[Nature (journal)]], 242, 40 [[Digital object identifier|doi]]:10.1038/242040a0.</ref> [[Rao Bahadur|Rai Bahadur]] [[Krishna Singh Rawat|Kishan Singh Rawat]] (1850-1921), a colonial era [[Pundit (explorer)|Indian explorer and cartographer]], was first to map it on a small scale (1 : 63,360).<ref name=study12>Kenneth Mason, 1923, "Kishen Singh and the Indian Explorers", The Geographical Journal, Vol. LXII-July to December.</ref><ref name=study9>Derek J. Waller, 2004, "The Pundits: British Exploration of Tibet and Central Asia," University Press of Kentucky.</ref> Other studies include by those of Arthur Lennox Coulson (1927–28), Sharma and Singh and Jaganathan and Rao (1969–70), Crowford (1972),<ref name=study2>Crawford, A. R., 1972, [[Nature (journal)]], 237, 96.</ref> Rakshit (1973), Ramaswamy (1981), Vimal Kumar Reddy(1984) etc.<ref name=gsi/> A rootless mass of sheared sandstone found near Bandewara temple in the crater indicates a fall back material.<ref name=gsi/> Crawford,<ref name=study2/> after discovering shatter coned [[colluvium]] in the middle of the crater, was first to suggest that this was an impact crater.<ref name=study1/> Auden suggested that the crater in upper [[Vindhya Range]] might be [[kimberlite]] [[Intrusive rock|intrusion]] similar to [[Majhgawan]] kimberlite intrusion.<ref name=study1/> In 1960, [[Geological Society of London]] recognised it as an impact crater.<ref name=study4>[https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/ramgarh-crater-caused-by-meteorite-impact-claim-experts/articleshow/64518175.cms Ramgarh crater caused by meteorite impact, claim experts], Economic Times, 9 January 2019.</ref> In addition, the Ramgarh crater is already among the [[List of possible impact structures on Earth|confirmed/proven list of impact craters]]<ref>[http://labmpg.sscc.ru/a152.html Ramgarh]</ref><ref>Nayak V.K. (1997). The circular structure at Ramgarh, India: an astrobleme(?). LPI Contrib., No.922, P. 31</ref><ref>Master S., Pandit M.K. (1999). New evidence for an impact origin of the Ramgarh structure, Rajasthan, India . Meteorit. and Planet. Sci., Vol.34, No.4, P. 79</ref> based on three-step confidence level criteria of Anna Mikheeva of [[Russian Academy of Sciences]] (1 for probable, 2 for potential, 3 for questionable),<ref name=Mikheeva>* {{cite LSA |last=Mikheeva |first=Anna |year=2019 |title=The Complete Catalog of the Earth's Impact structures |url=http://labmpg.sscc.ru/impact/index1.html |publisher=Institute of Computational Mathematics and Mathematical Geophysics SB RAS |pages=1 |access-date=2019-04-02}}, 2017</ref> applied to the impact sites that have appeared several times in the literature and/or have been endorsed by the [[Impact Field Studies Group]] (IFSG)<ref>[http://impacts.rajmon.cz/ Impact Field Studies Group]</ref> and/or Expert Database on Earth Impact Structures (EDEIS).<ref>[http://tsun.sscc.ru/nh/edeis.html Expert Database on Earth Impact Structures]</ref>

The [[Earth Impact Database]] (EID), at the [[University of New Brunswick]] in Canada,<ref name="EID">{{cite web| title = Earth Impact Database| publisher = [[University of New Brunswick]]| url = http://www.passc.net/EarthImpactDatabase/New%20website_05-2018/Index.html| access-date = 1 April 2019 }}</ref> is used as the most authoritative for confirming the impact craters.<ref>[http://www.passc.net/EarthImpactDatabase/index.html Earth Impact Database]</ref> The confirmation of Ramgrah being impact crater from EID is pending. In January 2018 Professor Vinod Agrawal and Geologists Pushpendra Singh Ranawat, members of team composed of GSI, [[INTACH]] and [[Mohanlal Sukhadia University]], which visited the crater to collect samples for the scientific study of the genesis of the crater, said the several types of evidence at crater meets the established criteria for the meteorite impact and that is a very rare site in India of multi-faceted significance including geological heritage.<ref name=study4/> Team stated that the ample research on the site has been conducted to gather [[Geochemistry|geochemical]] and other evidence published in peer reviewed journals, hence once the evidence is accepted by the national and global approving entities in India and Canada respectively the crater will be likely recognised as 191th impact crater in the world and 3rd in India by 2020 by the Earth Impact Database.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/rajasthans-crater-mystery-finally-solved-scientists-point-to-meteorite-impact-1773289.html|title=Rajasthan’s Crater Mystery Finally Solved? Scientists Point to Meteorite Impact|work=News18|access-date=2018-09-14}}</ref><ref name=study4/>

== Geology ==
{{See also | Vindhya Range#Geology and paleontology | l1= Geology of Vindhya Range}}

===Topography===
Located on a 240m [[sea level|MSL]] high plateau, the {{convert|3.2|km}} diameter Ramgarh ring crater rise further 150 to 200 m above the surrounding plateau. Located in [[Vindhya Range]] it is part of [[Bhander Plateau|Bhander Group]] of [[Vindhya Range#Geology and paleontology|Vindhyan Supergroup]] it has a raised rim and a circular depression in its centre forming a plain with average elevation of 260 m above [[sea level]].

===Hydrology===
Ramgarh rivulet flows from the south-west chasm of the crater and it becomes a tributary of Parvati river 4 km in the west. There are several other [[Gully|gullies]] (deeper channel and ditches cut into rocks and soil by the erosive action of fast flowing forceful water) and [[rill]]s (shallow channel cut into soil by the erosive action of flowing water) formed with [[Drainage_system_(geomorphology)#Radial_drainage_pattern radial|radial]] (flowing out of crater) and [[Drainage_system_(geomorphology)#Centripetal_drainage_pattern|centripetal]] (flowing in to crater) drainage. Radial streams flow into the [[Parbati River (Madhya Pradesh)|Parbati River]], a tributary of [[Chambal River]],<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=8egDAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PT87&dq=%22Parbati%20River%22%20Chambal&pg=PT87#v=onepage&q=%22Parbati%20River%22%20Chambal&f=false Pratiyogita Darpan], August, 2007; p. 268</ref><ref name="Yadava2003">{{cite book|author=Ram Narayan Yadava|title=Water resources system operation: proceedings of the International Conference on Water and Environment (WE-2003), December 15-18, 2003, Bhopal, India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bge-0XX6ip8C&pg=PA545|access-date=1 May 2011|year=2003|publisher=Allied Publishers|isbn=978-81-7764-548-4|pages=545–546}}</ref>

===Mineralogy===
Glass resembling rock samples were collected and investigated. These [[Spherulite|spherules]] contain very high percentage of iron, along with very high ratios of [[nickel]] and [[cobalt]]. This high ratios suggests a [[meteorite]] strike or [[Extraterrestrial materials|extraterrestrial rocks]].<ref name=misra/>

==See also==
{{Portal|Astronomy|India}}

; Impact craters in India
* [[Dhala crater]] in [[Shivpuri district]] of Madhya Pradesh
* [[Lonar lake|Lonar crater]] at [[Lonar]] in [[Buldhana district]] of Maharashtra
* [[Luna crater]] at [[Kutch district]] of Gujarat
* [[Shiva crater]], an undersea super crater west of India

; Other related topics
* [[List of impact craters on Earth]]
* [[List of possible impact structures on Earth]]
* [[List of lakes in India]]
* [[List of national parks of India]]
* [[Ramsar Convention]]
* [[Soda lake]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{coord|25|20|16|N|76|37|29|E|name=Ramgarh|display=title}}

{{Impact cratering on Earth}}

[[Category:Possible impact craters on Earth]]
[[Category:Impact craters of India]]
[[Category:Landforms of Rajasthan]]
[[Category:Geology of Rajasthan]]
[[Category:National Geological Monuments in India]]

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Ramgarh crater