Right in this area the hugest meteorite had fallen about a million years ago. The power of the explosion was equivalent to a simultaneous detonation of several nuclear bombs. It had practically turned over all surrounding geological formations. This is the reason for some surface materials found here, which usually lie at a much deeper layer of earth. Based on recent data, the diameter of the crater, including its swell, is about 13 kilometers(roughly 8.7 miles). Its depth is approximately 300 meters. Actually, Zhamanshin is quite a unique place where fossilized molluscs and corals can be foundright under foot. Tektites – glass-like formations of either black or dark green color, can be found here as well.Scientists have been debating their origin for more than a century. Some of them argue that the tektites appear to be a terrestrial rock melted upon the meteorite's impact, while others believe them to be of extraterrestrial origin, claiming that the substances appear to be the compound elements of a comet's core. Either way, the tektites are considered to be among the most mysterious stones on the Earth, because they do not resemble any well-known terrestrial or extraterrestrial substances in their chemical composition.
