Lake Lappajarvi

The basin of Lake Lappajarvi was formed more than 70 million years ago due to the impact of a huge meteorite with a diameter of at least half a kilometer. It is the largest crater lake in Europe.

The length is about 24 km.
The maximum width is 13 km.
The area is 145 km2.
The maximum depth is about 38 m.
The average depth is 7.4 m.
The volume of water is 1 km3.

The "sea" of South Pohjanmaa province (Southern Ostrobothnia) is filled not only with clean water, but also with fish of various species. People from all over the eastern part of Finland come to Lappajärvi to relax in nature and admire the views of the lake-sea stretching far beyond the horizon. There are very few islands in this body of water compared to other lakes in the Suomi country, so as soon as fishermen set sail from the shore, they almost immediately find themselves in the open waters of Lappajarvi. A lake created by a meteorite.

The theory of the cosmic origin of the natural reservoir appeared in scientific circles only in the 1950s. Previously, the basin of the lake was considered the crater of an ancient volcano, and detailed studies of the composition of the rocks have not been conducted for a long time. When the assumption of extraterrestrial intervention was formulated, clay stones and minerals like coesite, typical of meteorite craters, which could only have formed under the influence of high temperatures and radiation, were almost immediately found at the bottom of the lake.

Before the collision with the celestial body, this area of the earth's surface was an ordinary plain inhabited by animals and ancient plants. A meteorite that struck our planet in the northeastern part of present-day Finland created a giant bowl measuring 10 to 15 kilometers. He himself was about 400 meters across, so the impact power was about 80 gigatons. All life for 200-300 miles around the ill-fated piece of land was destroyed and then began to rebuild. Scientists believe that the impact claimed the lives of all the animals that were within 600 kilometers of the epicenter at the time of the disaster. Now the crater, which has noticeably deformed since its formation, has increased and no longer has a perfect circle shape, is filled with clean fresh water and fish. South of Lappajarvi there is another round crater lake — Izorinka. It is now known for sure that both of these reservoirs arose as a result of the most powerful impact of space rocks on the earth, and it was millions of years ago.

The landscape around the lake is typically Finnish. This area is even called the Koli of Southern Ostrobothnia, comparing it with the landscapes of Northern Karelia. The only Lakeankharyu mountain, which rises 106 meters high, gives the flat shores a peculiar charm. It is reflected alone in the waters of the lake like Mount Fuji on the Japanese island of Honshu. The rest of the uplands that have ever appeared in this area have long been eroded and weathered. And even Lake Lappajarvi itself has suffered a lot from these geological and climatic processes. Its original depth of 150 meters has long been reduced to 38, or more precisely, to 37.3 meters.

People inhabited the surroundings of Lappajarvi back in the Stone Age. The reservoir provided food for later settlers, the Vikings, and then the Swedes and the Savoists. Now several thousand Finns live in the vicinity of the lake, who are mainly engaged in fishing and providing tourist services. The lake's exceptional depth for a low-lying plain and brownish water with a high humus content create excellent conditions for walleye to live. This fish is caught here at any time of the year and with almost any bait. In open water, you can catch large perch and smaller inhabitants of the reservoir — the famous Finnish grouse or smelt. Burbot live in dense vegetation in shallow water, which gain weight up to 5 kilograms and above.

For lovers of a more relaxing holiday than trolling trout fishing, Lappajarvi will also offer excellent conditions. Comfortable hotels are located on the shore of the lake, there is even a museum of the lake, which presents fragments of rocks as proof that a space body once fell into this place on Finnish earth.

For fishermen and hikers, the entrance to the largest of the lake's islands, Kernyansaari, is open. It is located in the northern part of the reservoir and resembles a leaf hanging on a branch. In the 70s of the last century, it was connected to the coast as a peninsula, but now a narrow strip of land at the junction is hidden under water. A bridge has been built over the fairway, through which everyone gets to Kernyansaari.