Karakul
Key facts
- Country
- Tajikistan
- Diameter
- 52 km
- Age
- probably less than about 5 million years
- Location
- 39.02° N, 73.45° E
Lake Karakul, a large lake at about 3,900 m in the Pamir Mountains of eastern Tajikistan, with a peninsula and island in its centre, ringed by high peaks.
Karakul is an impact structure about 52 km across in the Pamir Mountains of eastern Tajikistan. Its centre is filled by Lake Karakul, which lies at about 3,900 m above sea level, making this one of the highest impact structures on Earth.
What can be seen. The lake is divided into two basins by a peninsula and an island, which are thought to be part of the crater's central uplift. The surrounding mountains rise to more than 5,000 m.
Discovery. The structure was recognised in the 1980s from satellite images, which showed the round outline of the basin. Geologists later found breccias and shatter cones, cone-shaped fractures produced by shock, and quartz with planar deformation features, which confirmed an impact.
What it hit. The impactor struck Palaeozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.
Age. The age is uncertain. Many geologists think it is young, less than about 5 million years old, based on the sediments in the basin, although the Pamir Mountains are rising and eroding fast, so estimates vary, and an upper limit of about 60 million years is sometimes given.
Why it matters. Karakul is one of the largest impact structures in Asia and one of the few in a high mountain range. The impactor is unknown.
Visiting. The lake lies on the Pamir Highway. Altitude sickness is a real danger at nearly 4,000 m; travel slowly and carry warm clothing.
Did you know?
Lake Karakul lies at about 3,900 m above sea level.
A peninsula and island in the lake are thought to be the crater's central uplift.
The structure was recognised from satellite images.