The main crater
A round bowl 22 m deep.
Fry72, Karel Frydrýšek — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Monika Michelson-Mõik — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bernt Rostad — CC BY 2.0 · Keith Ruffles — CC BY 3.0 · Bernt Rostad from Oslo, Norway — CC BY 2.0
Kaali is a group of nine meteorite craters in the village of Kaali on Saaremaa, one of the few impacts known to have happened in a populated area. The largest is a nearly round bowl ringed by trees, with a small green lake at the bottom, and it feels more like a quiet natural amphitheatre than a site of violence. The most recent estimates put its formation about 3,500 years ago, though researchers' figures vary widely. The meteor broke apart at a height of five to ten kilometres and fell in fragments, with a total mass estimated at 20 to 80 tonnes, burning vegetation up to 6 km away. Before the 1930s, theories included volcanic and karst origins, until Ivan Reinvald demonstrated a meteoritic cause in work from 1928, 1933 and 1937. The main crater measures 110 m across and 22 m deep, and you walk down a wooded slope to the edge of a lake dotted with water lilies in summer. The eight smaller craters range from 12 to 40 m across and one to four metres deep, all within a kilometre. The crater lies about 17.9 km from Kuressaare in a straight line, an easy stop on a drive across the island. The path around it is short, but the slope can be slippery after rain. Take time to walk the rim, since the view from above shows the shape best.
A round bowl 22 m deep.
Green water and lilies in summer.
The whole crater seen through the trees.
Kaali village, Saaremaa, Estonia
Yes. Ivan Reinvald demonstrated its meteoritic origin after earlier volcanic and karst theories.
About half an hour to an hour, which suits a stop on a drive across the island.