A massive meteorite crater in Ghana has created its own permanent weather system that has lasted for over a million years.
April 24, 2026
Original Paper
Persistent crater-to-landscape environmental gradients at Lake Bosumtwi, Ghana, from a 25-year satellite record
arXiv · 6629098
The Takeaway
Lake Bosumtwi formed when a space rock slammed into the earth, leaving a deep scar in the terrain. Satellite data from the last 25 years reveals that the interior of this crater is consistently cooler and wetter than the land just a few miles away. Curiously, the most lush vegetation does not grow inside the crater, but in a distinct ring around its outer edge. This ancient impact has effectively reorganized the local ecology into a stable, counterintuitive pattern. It shows how a single second of cosmic violence can dictate the climate of a region for geological epochs.