Crater Lake

USA / Oregon / Chiloquin /
 lake, caldera
Crater Lake is a caldera lake located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is famous for its deep blue color and water clarity. The lake partly fills a nearly 4,000 feet (1,220 m) deep caldera that was formed around 5,677 (± 150) BC by the collapse of the volcano Mount Mazama.

Crater Lake is known for the "Old Man of the Lake," a full-sized tree that has been bobbing vertically in the lake for more than a century. Due to the cold water of the lake, the tree has been rather well preserved.

While having no indigenous fish population, the lake was stocked from 1888 to 1941 with a variety of fish. Several species have formed self sustaining populations.

The commemorative Oregon State Quarter, which was released by the United States Mint in 2005, features an image of Crater Lake on its reverse side.

The lake is 5 by 6 miles (8 by 9.6 km) across with an average depth of 1,148 feet (350 m). Its deepest point has been measured at 1,949 feet (594 m) deep. This makes Crater Lake the deepest lake in the United States, the second deepest lake in North America and the ninth deepest lake in the world.

The caldera rim of Crater Lake ranges in elevation from 7,000 to 8,000 feet (2,130 to 2,440 m).

Due to several unique factors, most prominently that it has no inlets or tributaries, the waters of Crater Lake are some of the purest in terms of the absence of pollutants in North America.

The Klamath tribe of Native Americans, who may have witnessed the collapse of Mount Mazama and the formation of Crater Lake, have long regarded the lake as a sacred site. Their legends tell of two chiefs who battled against each other. Their battle resulted in the destruction of the home of one of the chiefs, Mount Mazama, and the creation of Crater Lake. The Klamath people used Crater Lake in vision quests, which often involved climbing the caldera walls and other dangerous tasks. Those who were successful in such quests were often regarded as having more spiritual powers. The tribe still holds Crater Lake in high regard as a spiritual site.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crater_Lake
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   42°56'29"N   122°6'26"W

Comments

  • There is suppose to be a log that has been floating around the lake for over 100 years. It sits veritcally in the water and is approx. 35 ft. It travels approx. 4 miles a day. Once, the log was teathered to the bank because some gentlemen in a submarine exploring thought that it would damage the sub..once teathered the wind began to blow and white caps formed. Once released the weather cleared. The log is named "The Old Man". see the book "Haunted Hikes" by Andrea Lankford. Pg.356-358. There is even a picture of the log.
  • Geologic map of the lake floor The Lake Is Formed from major eruption from Mount Mazama, part of the Cascade Range volcanic arc, was built up mostly of andesite, dacite, and rhyodacite over a period of at least 400,000 years. The caldera was created in a massive volcanic eruption that led to the subsidence of Mount Mazama around 5700 BC: about 50 cubic kilometers (12 cubic miles) of rhyodacite was erupted in this event. Since that time, all eruptions on Mazama have been confined to the caldera. Lava eruptions later created a central platform, Wizard Island, Merriam Cone, and other, smaller volcanic features, including a rhyodacite dome that was eventually created atop the central platform. Sediments and landslide debris also covered the caldera floor.[11] Eventually, the caldera cooled, allowing rain and snow to accumulate and eventually form a lake. Landslides from the caldera rim thereafter formed debris fans and turbidite sediments on the lake bed. Fumaroles and hot springs remained common and active during this period. Also after some time, the slopes of the lake's caldera rim more or less stabilized, streams restored a radial drainage pattern on the mountain, and dense forests began to revegetate the barren landscape. It is estimated that about 720 years was required to fill the lake to its present depth of 594 m. Much of this occurred during a period when the prevailing climate was less moist than at present.[12] Some hydrothermal activity remains along the lake floor, suggesting that at some time in the future Mazama may erupt once again.
This article was last modified 16 years ago