Sääksjärvi (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈsæːksˌjærʋi]) is a lake in Kokemäki, Satakunta, western Finland, east from the town of Pori. The lake is notable because it overlies an impact crater.

Sääksjärvi
Sääksjärvi is located in Finland
Sääksjärvi
Sääksjärvi
Map: crater area in grey
LocationKokemäki, Satakunta, Finland
Coordinates61°24′N 022°24′E / 61.400°N 22.400°E / 61.400; 22.400
TypeImpact crater lake
Basin countriesFinland
Surface area33.18 km2 (12.81 sq mi)[1]
Surface elevation49 m (161 ft)[1]
References[1]

The crater is 5 kilometres (3 mi) in diameter and is completely buried under the lake and is not visible at the surface. The age of the impact structure is estimated to be about 543 ± 12 Ma (million years ago), at the boundary between the Ediacaran and Cambrian periods. There are impactite rocks in the southwestern region from the crater confirming its extraterrestrial origin. At the time of its discovery, only one impact crater (Lappajärvi) was known in Finland.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Finnish Environment Institute: Finnish lakes larger than 40 square kilometers Archived 2011-07-25 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "Sääksjärvi". Earth Impact Database. Planetary and Space Science Centre University of New Brunswick Fredericton. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
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