Formation
The impact is thought to have occurred in the Holocene, more than 4 000 years ago. Analysis of silicate spherules in Estonian bogs show that the possible age of impact crater could be approximately 7 600 years. Other studies show more recent age, even 7th century BC. The craters were formed by a meteor with an estimated impact velocity of between 10 and 20 km/s with a total mass of between 20 and 80 metric tonnes. Meteorite arrived from the north-east.
At an altitude of 5–10 km, the meteorite broke into pieces and fell to the Earth in fragments, the greatest of which produced a crater with a diameter of 110 m and a depth of 22 m. Explosion removed approximately 81 000 cubic meters of dolomite and other rocks and formed 7 - 8 km tall, extremely hot gas flow. Vegetation was incinerated up to 6 km far from the impact site.
Kaali Lake (Estonian: Kaali järv) exists on the bottom of this crater. Eight smaller craters are also associated with this bombardment. Their diameters range from 12 to 40 meters and their respective depths vary from one to four meters. They are all within one kilometer of the main crater.
Read more about this topic: Kaali Crater
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