Lake types. Beautiful volcanic lakes from around the world

A crater lake is a lake that is formed in the crater of a volcano or in a caldera (a depression formed due to the collapse of the top of a volcano), or in the so-called impact crater, which is formed on the surface of the Earth as a result of a meteorite fall, or an artificial explosion provoked by a person.
Sometimes lakes that form within a caldera are called caldera lakes. Crater lakes are sometimes referred to as volcanic lakes, and their water composition is often highly acidic, saturated with volcanic gases, and there is also a sediment of an intense greenish color. Lakes located in dormant or extinct volcanoes, as a rule, differ fresh water, and the transparency of the water in such lakes can be absolutely exceptional due to the lack of input flow and sediment.

Today we bring to your attention a selection of photographs of the most beautiful crater lakes in the world. The realization that these lakes appeared due to the activity of the volcano, only adds to their mystery. Enjoy!

1. Crater Lake Crater, Mount Mazama volcano - Oregon, USA.

Crater Lake is the main attraction national park"Lake Crater", which is located in Oregon, USA. It is known for its amazingly intense blue color and clear water. Crater Lake is located in a caldera that is 1,220 meters deep. This caldera was formed after the destruction of Mount Mazama volcano. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States of America at 594 meters (1949 feet). Crater Lake is fed solely by precipitation, with no inflows or outflows. Consequently, Crater is one of the brightest lakes in the world. Crater Lake is also known for its huge log called the Lake Old Man. It has been floating in the lake in an upright position for more than a hundred years. Due to the low temperature of the water in the lake, the log is quite well preserved.

2. Crater Lake Quilotoa - Ecuador.

Quilotoa Crater Lake is a water-filled caldera and westernmost volcano located in the Ecuadorian Andes. The caldera, about three kilometers (2 miles) wide, was formed by a volcanic explosion that occurred about 800 years ago. the explosion followed a massive eruption that triggered pyroclastic and debris flows that reached Pacific Ocean. In addition, volcanic ash covered northern Andes. The caldera has since become a lake 250 meters (820 feet) deep, the water of which has a greenish color as a result of the dissolution of the minerals it contains. The lake is cold, but warm springs and microgeysers beat in places along the shore due to the location of fumaroles there - cracks in the crater, which are sources of hot gases. Most of the fumaroles are located on the eastern slope of the volcano.

3. Crater lakes Albertina Rift - Africa.

In a region with a very high population density, however, there are areas where flora and fauna remain almost pristine. These include Queen Elizabeth Park, dotted with crater lakes formed as a result of volcanic explosions. If in the 1920-1960s a number of laws had not been adopted declaring that this territory is under state protection and is a reserve, environmentalists state, today one of the most unusual monuments Wildlife - Western Rift.

The Western Rift, also called the Albertine Rift, is a rift (formed by large linear depressions in the earth's crust) valley, framed by a number of the most high mountains in Africa, including the Virunga Mountains, the Mitumba Mountains and the Rwenzori Range. It is here that a number of lakes of the Rift Valley are located - lakes that include several of the most deep lakes in the world (Lake Tanganyika, which reaches a depth of up to 1,470 meters (4,800 feet). Most of this area lies within national parks, such as national park Virunga in Democratic Republic Congo, Rwenzori National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda, and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Lake Victoria is considered part of the Rift Valley system, although it actually lies between two parts of it. All of the African Great Lakes were formed as a result of the appearance of rifts, and most of these lakes are located within the rift valley.

4. Kelimutu Crater Lake - - Flores Island, Indonesia.

Kelimutu Volcano is a place where there are as many as three crater lakes of different colors. The water in Tiwu AtaMbupu (Lake of the Elderly) usually has a blue tint. This lake is the westernmost of the three lakes. Two other lakes, Tiwu Nuwa Muri Koo Fai (Lake of Boys and Maidens) and Tiwu Ata Polo (Witch or Magic Lake) are separated by a crater wall and the water in them is usually green and red, respectively. The Kelimutu volcano is of interest to geologists because three lakes of different colors are located on top of the same volcano.

5. Crater Lake, Mount Pinatubo - Luzon, Philippines.

Lake Pinatubo is located in the summit crater of Mount Pinatubo, formed after its climatic eruption on June 15, 1991. The lake is located near the borders of the provinces of Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales in the Philippines. It is the deepest lake in the country, at 800 meters (2,600 ft) deep. Lake Pinatubo is located about 90 kilometers (56 miles) northwest of the capital Manila.

6. Okkama Crater Lake (“Lake of Five Flowers”), Mount Zao – Honshu, Japan.

Mount Zao is a volcano located on the border between Yamagata and Miyagi prefectures in Japan. This volcano is complex - it consists of a cluster of stratovolcanoes. It is the most active volcano in northern Honshu. As a result of a volcanic eruption in the mid-1720s, Ockamah Lake, also known as the "Lake of Five Flowers", was formed. It is so called because the water in the lake changes color depending on the weather. The lake is 360 meters (1200 feet) in diameter and reaches a depth of 60 meters (200 feet). Five Color Lake is one of the main tourist attractions in the area.

7. Crater Lake, Mount Katmai - Alaska, USA.

Mount Katmai is a large stratovolcano (composite volcano) located on the Alaska Peninsula, within the Katmai National Park and Preserve. Its diameter is about 6.3 miles (10 kilometers). The central caldera of Katmai Volcano is a lake measuring approximately 3 x 2 miles (4.5 x 3 kilometers). The caldera was formed during the eruption of the Novarupta volcano in 1912. Max Height calderas - 6716 feet (2047 meters). In 1975, the water surface of the crater lake was located at an altitude of about 4220 feet (1286 meters), and the estimated height at which the caldera floor was located was about 3400 feet (1040 meters). Mount Katmai is located in the area of ​​Kodiak Island.

8. Crater Lake on Taal Volcano - Luzon, Philippines.

Taal Volcano is complex volcano located on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The lake partially fills the Taal Volcano caldera, which was formed by powerful prehistoric eruptions that occurred between 140,000 and 5380 BC. The view of Taal Lake, which opens from the Tagaytay Range, is one of the most picturesque and attractive sights in the Philippines. Taal Volcano is located about 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of the country's capital, Manila.
A large rock, called Volcano Point, rises above the lake. This is a fragment of the old bottom of the crater. It is now surrounded by a lake up to two kilometers (1.2 miles) wide, now known as Main Crater Lake.

9. Crater Lake Deriba, Jebel Marra - Darfur, Sudan.

The crater of the dormant volcano Deriba is located at the highest point of Jebel Marra, at an altitude of 3042 meters (9980 feet), in Darfur, in the west of Sudan. The Deriba volcano caldera has become the most high point in Sudan after the independence of South Sudan. Its diameter is from five to eight kilometers. The inner crater fills crater lake. The Deriba caldera was created by the eruption of the Jebel Marra volcano approximately 3,500 years ago. The volcano is now thought to be dormant, not extinct, as hot springs and fumaroles (gas and steam vents) are still present on its flanks.

10. Crater Lake, Mount Ruapehu - New Zealand.

Ruapehu is an active stratovolcano located in the southern part of the Taupo Volcanic Zone in New Zealand. It is located approximately 23 kilometers northeast of Ohakune and 40 kilometers southwest of south coast Lake Taupo, within the Tongariro National Park. There is a glacier on its slopes.
Ruapehu is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and the largest active volcano in New Zealand. It is the highest point north island and includes three main peaks: Tahurangi (height 2797 meters), Te Heuheu (height 2755 meters) and Paretetaitonga (height 2751 meters). A deep active crater lies between the peaks and fills with a crater lake between major eruptions.

11. Yak Lum Crater Lake - Ratanakiri, Cambodia.

The crater lake Yak Lum is popular with tourists in the province of Ratanakiri in northeastern Cambodia. Located about 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the provincial capital, Banlung, it's amazing beautiful lake is located in a 4000-year-old volcanic crater. Due to the huge depth of the lake (157 feet or 48 meters), the water in it is exceptionally clean and transparent. Lake Yak Lum is almost perfectly round and measures 0.45 miles (0.72 kilometers) in diameter. The tall trees and rich, lush rainforest surrounding the lake are home to exotic birds, including various kinds parrots.

12. Crater Lake Kerid, Iceland.

Kerid is a volcanic lake located in the Grímsnes region in southern Iceland, on the popular tourist route, known as the Golden Circle, or the Golden Circle. It is one of several crater lakes in the area known as the Western Volcanic Zone of Iceland, which includes the Reykjanes peninsula and the Langjökull glacier.

Kerid Caldera, like other volcanoes in the area, is composed of red (rather than black) volcanic rock. The caldera is about 55 meters (180 feet) deep and about 170 meters (560 feet) wide and 270 meters (890 feet) across. Kerid Caldera is one of the three most recognizable volcanic craters. Its age is approximately 3000 years. The surrounding landscape is almost twice as old. The steep slopes of the crater are covered with stunted vegetation, but one of the slopes is more gentle and covered with moss, it is quite easy to climb it. The lake itself is quite shallow (7-14 meters, depending on rainfall and other factors), but due to the minerals that enter the water from the soil, the water in it is opaque and strikingly bright, an amazing aquamarine hue.

13. Crater Lake Licancabur - Chile.

Licancabur is an amazingly symmetrical stratovolcano located in the southernmost part of the border between Chile and Bolivia. It is located southwest of Laguna Verde in Bolivia. The volcano rises above the Salar de Atacama region. The lower two-thirds of the northeast slope of the volcano belong to Bolivia, this is an area from 5400 meters (17717 feet) to 4360 meters (14304 feet) from the foot, and the rest (and most), including the third of the northeast slope and the crater, belong to Chile.

Licancabur Volcano Crater lies entirely within Chile, just over 1 kilometer (3,281 ft) southwest of Chile. international border, it reaches about 400 meters (1312 feet) wide. It contains a crater lake measuring 70 meters (230 feet) by 90 meters (295 feet). Licancabur crater lake covered in ice most of the year. This is one of the highest mountain lakes in the world, and despite the air temperature, which can reach -30 ° C, planktonic animals live in the lake.

14. Geothermal crater lake Viti - Askja, Iceland.

Askja is an active stratovolcano located in a remote part of the central highlands of Iceland. The name Askja refers to a complex of calde, located in the mountains of the Dyngjufjoll mountains, whose height is up to 1510 meters (4954 feet), the word askja itself means "caldera" in Icelandic. The region is only accessible to tourists during a few months of the year. Located to the northeast of the Vatnaekul ice sheet, this area receives only about 450 mm of precipitation per year. This area was used in the process of training astronauts for flights to the moon under the Apollo program.
The large Escuvan Lake was formed by the 1875 eruption. Its area is 12 km². When the lake first formed, it was warm, but today it remains covered with ice for most of the year. Escuvan is the second deepest lake in Iceland, over 220 meters deep.

The geothermal lake is located on the northern shore of Escuvan. This lake is about 150 meters in diameter. Its depth reaches 7 meters. The water in this lake is rich in minerals. the water in it is opaque and intense blue in color, it comes from strong smell sulfur.

15. Heavenly Lake, Mount Baekdu - China, North Korea.

Sky Lake is a crater lake located on the border between China and North Korea. It is located in the caldera located at the top volcanic mountain Baekdu, which is part of mountain range Changbaishan. The mountain is located partly in Ryangan Province, North Korea at 42.006°N. 128.057°E, and partly in Jilin Province, Northeast China.

The caldera in which Heavenly Lake is located was formed as a result of a major eruption in 969 (± 20 years). The lake has an altitude of 2,189.1 meters (7182 feet). The lake covers an area of ​​9.82 km² (3.79 sq mi), from south to north it is 4.85 km (3.01 mi) long and from east to west it is 3.35 kilometers (2.08 mi) ). Average depth the lake is 213 meters (699 ft) and maximum depth 384 meters (1260 ft). From mid-October to mid-June, the lake is usually covered in ice.

Volcanic lakes

Once, a very long time ago, the crust of our planet was in the process of its formation. It's scary to imagine what happened! Mountains rose and entire continents collapsed into the abyss. Volcanoes spewed pillars of fiery lava and smoke into the sky. Good thing we didn't live at that time. It would be more correct to say that we would not have lived - who would have survived there, I wonder. On the one hand, hot lava, on the other, a saber-toothed tiger, and on the third, a bottomless abyss ... But today we can freely admire the landscapes and natural creations left to us as a memory of that era. Take, for example, volcanic lakes.

When a volcano works, its top is open, fire, ash, smoke and lava fly out from there. Remember how Icelandic volcanoes quite recently they spoiled the blood of European air traffic controllers and ordinary passengers of airlines. But all volcanoes someday stop their activity, in other words, they die out. Their crater or vent is clogged with the remains of ash, pieces of volcanic rock. A certain depression is formed, which is gradually filled - what would you think? Right! Rain and melt water. Lakes of wondrous beauty are formed on the tops of former volcanoes. Imagine - a wonderful lake among the pure mountain air, where production waste does not fall, no one throws or drains anything.

There are such places on the planet. And not just one, mind you. Take at least the independent state of Samoa. IN small village Latofaga is amazingly preserved real corner heavenly beauty- To Sua Ocean Trench. A small lake in a crater a long time ago extinct volcano. Surrounded by an impenetrable wall rainforest, the lake is alive and well to this day. locals consider it healing and take sacred baths in it. The amazing thing is, the less we, people, know about this or that place, the more beautiful it looks and the better it is preserved. We need to think hard about this. Something is wrong, either with us or with nature.

Lake Taupo in New Zealand. The area of ​​the entire lake is 616 square kilometers, located on one of the islands. Imagine what a volcano it was! According to scientists last time it erupted almost 30 thousand years ago and it was the most powerful eruption over the past 70 thousand years. During the explosion of this volcano, almost 1200 cubic kilometers (!) of solid particles were thrown into the atmosphere. We do not undertake to judge, but scientists predict the resumption of activity of this giant in the next hundred years.
The oldest and largest volcanic lake in the world is Lake Toba in Indonesia. 100 km long and 30 km wide. Some kind of volcanic sea! It was formed about 70 thousand years ago as a result of powerful explosion over the past 100 thousand years. There is evidence that as a result of this explosion, global cooling occurred and many species of animals and plants died.

Crater Lake, another amazingly beautiful lake volcanic origin. It is located in the state of Oregon in the USA. In terms of beauty, Oregon generally gives all other states two points ahead. What is the value of one well of Thor and the Guardian of Eternity located on its territory? This lake has the cleanest and most transparent species. So clean that looking into it, you can see its entire depth of 43 meters. Take the picturesque shores to this, framing the lake with a border and there is no limit to your delight! Although the lake is only 7700 years old, it is quite large and deep.
Another note - in almost all volcanic lakes, the water is surprisingly clean and healing. As if from the very bowels of the earth something special rises specially, which has a beneficial effect on the human body. The Earth itself extends a helping hand to people. Maybe people should extend their hand to her in response?

Acid lake volcano April 22nd, 2016

Maly Semyachik Volcano (Mount Srezannaya, Maly Semiachik Volcano, Srezannaya mountain) is part of the Karymskaya group of volcanoes and is located 15 km northeast of Karymsky volcano and 20 km west of Kronotsky Bay.

In the crater of the volcano you can observe a real miracle. After all, somewhere else you will meet an amazing acid lake, the waters of which are saturated with sulfuric, hydrochloric, hydrofluoric acids and other compounds! It is because of this "explosive mixture" that the waters of the lake in the Maly Semyachik crater have such a fabulously turquoise color.

Let's learn more about the volcano and the lake...

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The Maly Semyachik Volcano is a short volcanic ridge about 3 km long along the top, consisting of three merged cones: the northern ancient cone, which is the highest - 1560 m, the middle cone with a half-filled crater, and the southwestern cone with a nest of craters, including the active Troitsky crater.

Once upon a time, a volcano with a base diameter of about 20 km was located on the site of a modern volcano. Approximately 17 thousand years ago, as a result of explosive and collapse processes, a caldera with a diameter of about 15 km was formed. The remains of the disappeared volcano Sten in the form of an arched ridge are located to the east of the modern volcano.

Photo 3.

Troitsky crater, named after a member of many Kamchatka expeditions, who surveyed Maly Semyachik, V.D. Troitsky, is a deep funnel with a diameter of about 700 m, slightly oval, at the bottom of which lies a lake. Sheer walls, rising to 200 m, are composed of alternating layers of lavas and tuffs, giving them a striped color. The colors are complemented by fumarole deposits - white, yellow and greenish tones.

The most remarkable part of this interesting crater in itself is the light green lake. This coloration is caused by the smallest sulfur particles floating in the water column, taken out by underwater fumaroles. The temperature of the lake is 30-40 °C. Its average diameter is about 500 m, depth is up to 140 m. Descent to the lake is possible only with north side, along live talus, interrupted by a rocky stepped cliff of about 20 m. Belaying with a rope is obligatory. The shores of the lake at the point of descent are littered with large boulders. The water tastes sour-sour. When volcanologists examined the lake from a rubber boat, they returned with difficulty: the aluminum blades of the oars were eaten by acids dissolved in the water. The mineralization of the water is very high, higher than the salt content in sea water. The beautiful salad color of the lake from above, close up disappoints, turning into just muddy.

Photo 4.

The place of modern activity of the volcano is only the Troitsky crater. In 1945-1946, local residents observed "smoke" rising from the volcano. As it was established later, there were strong emissions that increased the area of ​​the crater lake by 8-10%.

There are six side cones at the foot of the volcano. The tops of some of them end with rocks - necks, lava cores frozen in channels.

Volcano Maly Semyachik is a natural monument

Photo 5.

The Maly Semyachik volcano group also includes volcanoes: Berezovy (or Double), Northern Coastal, Southern Coastal, Stepped Bastion, Stenka (volcanic remains), as well as lateral cones of the volcano. The whole group is extended into a short, 3 km ridge, clearly visible from the village of Zhupanovo from the Pacific coast.

Strong catastrophic eruption volcano occurred around 1800. Streams and beams were filled up, forests were destroyed, large areas were covered with rubble and sand. The area now occupied by a grove of graceful fir, the only one in Kamchatka, is covered with sand. Then a weak eruption occurred in 1851-1852. Strong outgassing was observed in 1945-1946. At this time, a black cloud was rising over the crater. In 1952, intense hovering was observed over the volcano

Photo 6.

The descent to the lake is possible only from the north side along live screes, which are interrupted by a rocky cliff about 20 meters high.

Photo 7.

How to get to the acid lake in Kamchatka?

The transport infrastructure in Kamchatka is very poorly developed. For this reason, travelers have only two options for how to get to the acid lake in the crater of the Maly Semyachik volcano.

First, you can use a helicopter. For Kamchatka it is the usual way movement. Local tour operators often organize sightseeing tours in Kamchatka, during which the helicopter necessarily flies over the acid lake of Maly Semyachik.

Secondly, you can go to acid lake on foot in tourist group. Kamchatka travel agencies offer hiking tours along the mountains of Kamchatka, the route of which can also run through the volcanoes of Maly Semyachik. It should be noted that the volcano is located 135 km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

Photo 8.

The bottom of the lake is pitted with fumaroles, which determine its changeable character. From time to time the water level changes: in one dimension it was 140 meters, in another - 117. The temperature of the lake is also not constant. It is almost always hot, but the temperature can vary from a little over 20 degrees to almost 60. And more recently, since 1992, the lake began to freeze in winter. In some years, non-freezing areas remain on its surface, in others, the snow cover is even. But even when there is snow on the lake, you can smell sulfur from it. The lake is constantly observed by geologists, tourists are actively interested in it.

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Hello dear readers! Now I will tell you about what lakes are and about their main types.

- these are natural reservoirs in the depressions of the land (hollows), filled within the lake bowl (lake bed) with a heterogeneous water mass.

Lack of direct connection with the World characteristic of lakes. The area occupied by the lakes is about 2.1 million km 2 or almost 1.4% of the land area, which is almost seven times the surface of the big lake in the world - the Caspian Sea (424,300 km 2).

Lakes are unevenly distributed: in the north there are especially many of them - in the forest zone and tundra, less often lakes are found in the south, in the desert and in the steppe.

Lake types.

Lakes can have different origins. Geographers classify lakes according to the presence of life, the content of salts, and the way they are formed. There is no life only in the most salty lakes. Most of the lakes were formed as a result of volcanic eruptions or movements.

Also, lakes can form in depressions that have arisen as a result of the uneven distribution of glaciers in areas of continental icing. (moraine and glacial lakes); when ice melts in subsidence dips (thermokarst lakes); in castrate abysses and funnels (fire lakes); in valleys blocked by collapse, glacier or displacement (volcanic lakes of Java, Kuril Islands etc.), by applying a mule or sand (estuary lakes of the Crimean Peninsula).

Many lakes were created by people. These lakes are called reservoirs, since they contain a reserve of water for hydroelectric power stations and other economic needs.

Let us consider in more detail the main types of lakes:


Tectonic lakes. These lakes are the most interesting. They occur in places of tectonic faults, as a rule, they are very deep and have an elongated shape.

The deepest lake in the world is Baikal (max. depth - 1620 m, average - 730 m), tectonic in origin. It arose as a result of a break in the block of the earth's crust, as a result of which a depression filled with water appeared.

Due to the formation of the water mass of lakes. Sometimes sea ​​water, which in the geological past filled the basin, is replaced by fresh water. These are the so-called relic lakes , including Onega, Lake Ladoga and the Aral with the Caspian Seas.

The reasons for the formation of the Caspian Sea (the largest lake on Earth) are faults and folds, due to the movement of the earth's crust.

In the depression between the Mangyshlak plateau in the East and Caucasus mountains in the West, the Caspian Sea is located. Its dimensions have been constantly changing over the past few million years.

The Caspian Sea connected with the Black Sea before the Caucasus Range rose.

Another example of a huge fault is the East African Rift System. It is filled with a chain of lakes and extends from Southeast Africa to the North to Southwest Africa. The most famous of the lakes of this system are Nyasa (Malawi), Albert, Tanganyika, Edward.

On the territory of Israel, but the same system belongs to the lowest-lying lake in the world - the Dead Sea (-399 m, below sea level).

Lakes can also sewage(from them flow, or their flow may be underground) and drainless(they do not have drains, they are mainly found in deserts and semi-deserts).

The endorheic Lake Chany is very interesting, it is prone to abrupt changes in boundaries, depending on fluctuations in annual or seasonal rainfall. Nomadic lakes include: Chad, Lop Nor and Eyre.

The hydrological and thermal regimes of lakes are not as pronounced as those of rivers, due to the large volume of water.

During the period of floods and floods, there are no such impressive rises of water on the lakes, and freezing and ice drift occur more slowly than in rivers. But there are lakes strong winds, including seiches.

freshwater lakes they feed on rainwater, streams and rivers, but minerals and soils that are washed off the banks gradually accumulate with a limited supply of fresh water. The fresh water evaporates and the mineral-rich brine remains in the lake.

Salt lakes. More-less, endorheic lakes mineralized, they accumulate salts (from 1 to 24.7% - brackish lakes, and from 24.7 to 47% - salty), which are located even in fresh water their tributaries.

There are also mineral lakes (they contain more than 47% of salts), including flowing ones, they are formed due to the flow of mineralized waters from the depths of the Earth. Salts from them may precipitate.

in the Aral Sea and Caspian Sea are salt lakes. The Aral Sea was the fourth largest lake in the world, but after the channels of the rivers replenishing it were changed, it began to dry up.

The area of ​​the sea has decreased from 77,451 km 2 to 40,000 km 2, and this gives reason to talk about the gradual death of the lake.

The Dead Sea is the saltiest lake. It is located in the Jordan Valley between Jordan and Israel. Its water is 9 times saltier than ocean water. As a result of this, the density of water is so high that on its surface you can lie quietly, as if on a bed, and read a newspaper.


Volcanic lakes. A water-filled volcanic crater is the most common form of volcanic lake.

Crater Lake in Mazama Volcano Crater, Oregon () – one example of this type of lake. This lake has a diameter of 10 km and a depth of 598 m, and was formed 6600 years ago.

Some lakes were formed when lava flows blocked volcanic valleys and water accumulated in them. Lake Kivu is such an example, a depression in the East African Rift System on the border between Rwanda and Zaire.

Once flowing from Lake Tanganyika, the Ruzizi River flowed through the Kivu Valley north to the Nile, but after a nearby volcano erupted, which blocked the river's course, its waters filled the depression.

In the northern hemisphere, the most common lakes were created by glaciers during the last ice age. This is how the lakes were formed Italian Alps, about 60,000 Finnish lakes and most British lakes.

Glaciers left behind deep depressions in which accumulated warm water. Moraine (glacial deposits) dammed depressions, forming lakes. An example is the reservoirs of the Lake District in the North of England.

Lakes can also form underground, in limestone voids. Water dissolves limestone, creating water-filled huge caves. Similar lakes can form in areas of underground salt deposits.


artificial lakes. The most famous example of artificial lakes are reservoirs. Among the largest are Lake Mead in the USA, which appeared after the damming of the Colorado River, and Lake Nasser on the border of Sudan and Egypt, which was created by damming the Nile Valley.

All of them serve hydroelectric power stations. Also, many artificial lakes exist for industrial use and to provide water to large settlements. Another example of artificial lakes is decorative small lakes created in parks or just at home in the yard.

Such lakes serve as a decoration, an outdoor aquarium for fish and just a place for birds to take a bath 🙂

These were the main types of lakes, I hope this information will be useful to you 🙂

The largest lakes in the world

Lake

Area thousand km 2

Caspian Sea (Asia-Europe), salty 371*
Upper (USA - Canada) 82,1
Victoria (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda) 69,4
Huron (USA - Canada) 59,6
Michigan (USA) 57,8
Aral Sea (Kazakhstan - Uzbekistan), salty 36,5*
Tanganyika (DRC, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia) 32,9
Baikal (Russia) 31,5
Big Bear (Canada) 31,3
Nyasa (Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique) 29,0
Great Slave (Canada) 28,5
Erie (USA - Canada) 26,5
Winnipeg (Canada) 24,3
Balkhash (Kazakhstan), salted 22,0*
Ontario (USA - Canada) 19,7
Ladoga (Russia) 17,7
Chad (Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria), brackish 16,3*
Maracaibo (Venezuela) 13,5
Onega (Russia) 9,7
Air (Australia), salted 9,3*
Volta (Ghana) 8,5
Titicaca (Peru - Bolivia) 8,3
Nicaragua (Nicaragua) 8,0
Athabasca (Canada) 8,0
Deer (Canada) 6,7
Rudolph (Kenya-Ethiopia), salted 6,5
Issek-Kul (Kyrgyzstan), brackish 6,2
Kokunor (Qinghai) (China), salted 5,7*
Torrens (Australia), salted 5,7*
Venern (Sweden) 5,7
Albert (DRC - Uganda) 5,6
Netting (Canada) 5,4
Winipegosis (Canada) 5,39
Kariba (Zambia - Zimbabwe) 5,31
Nipigon (Canada) 4,9
Gardner (Australia), salted 4,77*
Urmia (Iran), salty 4,69
Manitoba (Canada) 4,66
Lesnoye (USA - Canada) 4,47

* Unstable area


Beautiful volcanic lakes from around the world.

A crater lake is a lake formed when a volcanic crater, caldera, maar, or impact crater fills with water.


Sky Lake on the border of North Korea and China

The crater lake, as a rule, has the shape of a circle and high sheer walls, has few tributaries and almost no drains - usually the crater is filled with rainwater (for maars - with groundwater).


Crater Lake in US National Park

Life in such a lake is impossible due to the chemical composition of the water. Often crater lakes have different color shades. Examples of such colored acid lakes are Rincón de la Vieja and Irazu in Costa Rica.

Crater Lake - Oregon, USA


Crater Lake National Park is located in southern Oregon, USA. The main attraction of the park is Crater Lake. The park was founded on May 22, 1902, becoming the fifth national park in the United States. The most deep point lakes - 597 m, Crater Lake is the deepest in the United States and the seventh deepest in the world. No rivers or streams flow into the lake. The water of the lake very often has a bewitching blue hue.

Lake Quilotoa - Ecuador


Quilotoa is a lake-filled volcanic caldera and the westernmost volcano in the Ecuadorian Andes. The caldera is 3 km wide and was formed as a result of the collapse of a volcano after a catastrophic explosion about 800 years ago. The depth of Lake Quilotoa is 250 m, the water has a greenish color due to dissolved minerals. At the bottom of the eastern part of the lake there are numerous fumaroles and hot springs.

Crater lake in the East African Rift Valley - Africa


The East African Rift Valley is a large rift landform that extends approximately 6,000 km from northern Ethiopia to central Mozambique in East Africa. The name was coined at the end of the 19th century by the British explorer John Walter Gregory.

Lake Kelimutu - Indonesia


Kelimutu is a volcano on the Indonesian island of Flores with a height of 1639 m. Due to the three crater lakes, each of which is painted in a different color, Kelimutu is a popular tourist attraction. Last thing famous eruption took place in 1968. The three lakes of Kelimutu, in which various minerals are dissolved, change their color from black to turquoise, red-brown or green over the course of several years. Local residents from the village of Moni, located at the foot of the volcano, believe that the souls of the dead go to these lakes and their color change means that they are angry.

Lake Pinatubo - Philippines


Lake Pinatubo is the crater lake of the volcano of the same name. Formed after the eruption on June 15, 1991. The lake is located near the borders of the Philippine provinces of Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales, 90 km from the capital city of Manila. The deepest in the country is 800 meters.

Okama Lake - Honshu Island, Japan


Mount Zao is a volcano on the border between the Japanese prefectures of Yamagata and Miyagi. Is the most active volcano in northern Japan. central volcano The group has a crater lake called Okama, also known as the "Lake of Five Colors" because it changes color depending on the weather. The diameter of the lake is about 360 meters, the depth is 60 meters.

Lake Katmai - Alaska, USA


Katmai is an active stratovolcano (layered volcano) in the south of the Alaska Peninsula, located on the territory of Katmai National Park. The volcano, reaching 10 km in diameter, has a central caldera filled with a lake, the size of which is 4.5 by 3 kilometers. The lake was formed after the eruption of the Novarupta volcano in 1912. The maximum height of Katmai, on which the caldera lies, is 2047 meters above sea level.

Volcano in the middle of Taal Lake - Luzon, Philippines


Taal is an active volcano in the Philippines. Located 50 km south of Manila on the island of Luzon. volcano crater with small lake located at an altitude of 350 meters. Taal is the smallest active volcano on Earth. Subsequent volcanic activity formed in the middle of the lake new volcano in the form of an island. It has erupted more than 30 times since 1572. Last eruption occurred in 1965, about 200 people died.

Deriba Lake - Darfur, Sudan


Marra is an extinct volcano on the Darfur plateau in Western Sudan. It is located between the Sudanese city of El Fasher and the border with Chad. Marra is surrounded by a rocky desert, in the center of the volcano there are two lakes of Deriba. The last eruption occurred around the 20th century BC. e.

Lake on Mount Ruapehu - New Zealand


Ruapehu (Maori "thundering abyss") - an active stratovolcano in New Zealand, is the highest point in the North Island with a height of 2797 meters. The slopes of the volcano are covered with forests. Above 1700-2000 m there are snows and glaciers. The last eruption occurred on September 25, 2007.

Lake Yak Lum - Ratanakiri, Cambodia


Yak Lum is a popular tourist lake in the Ratanakiri province in northeastern Cambodia. Located about 5 km from the provincial capital, Banlung. The lake occupies a volcanic crater about 4 thousand years old. The depth is about 48 m, the water is exceptionally clean and transparent. The lake has an almost perfect round shape, about 720 m in diameter. Huge tropical trees grow around the lake and many exotic animals are found.

Lake Kerid - Iceland


Kerid (or Keriz) is a crater lake located in the south of Iceland, on the site of a popular tourist route known as Golden ring, near the town of Selfoss. The depth of the caldera reaches 55 meters (the lake itself is about 10 m), the width is 170 meters, and the length in diameter is 270 meters. Keriza Caldera is one of the three most visible volcanic craters. Age - 3 thousand years.

Lake Licancabur - Chile


Licancabur is a stratovolcano in Chile. The height above sea level of the peak is 5920 m. The volcano is located in the southern part of the border of Chile with Bolivia. The extensive ruins of Inca structures located at the top testify to the absence of major eruptions over the past 500-1000 years.

Lake Viti - Iceland


Active volcano Askja is located in the Vatnajökull National Park. The height of the volcano is 1510 m above sea level. During the volcanic eruption that began on March 29, 1875, two large lakes. Eskuvn (Isl. Öskjuvatn) - with an area of ​​​​about 11 sq. km and a depth of up to 220 m - is the most deep lake Iceland. Located in the southern part of the lake small island Eia, formed during the 1926 eruption. Viti (Isl. Viti, “hell”) is a geothermal lake on the northern shore of Escuvan, with a diameter of about 100 m and a depth of about 7 meters. The water in the lake is milky blue, its temperature ranges from 20 to 27 °C. Around the lake there is a strong smell of sulfur, because of which it is called "Hell".

Sky Lake - China, North Korea


Cheongji or Tianchi (Korean and Chinese "heavenly lake") is a crater lake located on the border of the DPRK and China. It is located in the caldera of the Baektusan volcanic mountain, which is part of the Changbaishan mountain range. Since 1979, the lake has been part of an international biosphere reserve.