Country: Finland
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Visit social mediaThe Impact Crater Lake -Lappajärvi UNESCO Global Geopark is a treasure of Western Finland known for its beautiful landscapes, idyllic towns and distinctive villages.
Impact Crater Lake – Lappajärvi UNESCO Global Geopark brings together scenery nature sites, charming hiking trails and historic cultural sites, all of which are well worth experiencing when visiting Western Finland. Through unique sites and charming landscapes, Impact Crater Lake Geopark tells the story of the birth of Europe’s largest crater lake in a intriguing way.
Impact Crater Lake – Lappajärvi was born 78 million years ago in a collision of a meteorite.
The meteorite itself was destroyed in an explosion, but as a result of the collision, several different rocks were formed. The most important rocks are kärnäite and suevite. Kärnäite, as very hard rock, has been protecting Kärnäsaari island from further erosion.
The impact also produced rare impact diamonds, which can be found on the southern edge of the crater. The edges of the crater are still seen in the landscape and give the unique form to the geopark.
Tectonic plates have moved millions of years and ice ages have flattened the crater.
To this day the crater is surrounded by elevated edge that can still be seen from Lakeaharju (in Vimpeli) and Pyhävuori (in Alajärvi) offering spectacular views of the Crater Lake. Western Finland is known from it’s flatness and spaciousness.
Lappajärvi is the biggest lake in Western Finland and the region of Impact Crater Lake stands out from the crowd by the dozens of lakes and ponds.
