Lonar Lake Turns Pink
In just a few days, the green water of a meteor-crater lake turned pink.
What was reported
Lonar Lake sits inside a crater made when a meteorite struck the Deccan plateau long ago. Its water is salty and alkaline, and it is normally green.
In early June 2020, during the lockdown, the lake turned reddish-pink within two or three days. Photos spread widely, and theories ranged from pollution to something from the meteorite itself.
Explanations offered
Scientists at the Agharkar Research Institute in Pune found large numbers of haloarchaea, salt-loving microbes that make a pink pigment. With no pre-monsoon rain, the water had become saltier, and the microbes multiplied. The colour faded once the rains came.
- When
- June 2020
- Where
- Lonar, Buldhana district, Maharashtra, India
- Witnesses
- Villagers, visitors and scientists
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.