Underground lake
An underground lake or subterranean lake is a lake under the surface of the Earth. Such lakes may be associated with caves, aquifers, or springs. They are typically very low in salinity. Underground lakes often form in abandoned quarries, but can also form naturally. In most cases, naturally-formed underwater caves are an artifact of Karst topography.[1]
Underwater lake in one of the 22 lakes within Cross Cave in Slovenia
The largest non-subglacial lake in the world is in Dragon's Breath Cave in Namibia,[2] with an area of almost 2 hectares (5 acres),[3] and the second largest is in Craighead Caverns in Tennessee, United States.
Gallery
An underwater lake in Cueva Maronal located in the Elías Soplín Vargas District of Peru
A geological cross section showing the key hydrological features of Karst topography that lead to the formation of underwater caves.
See also
- Subglacial lake – Lake under a glacier
- Subterranean river – River that runs wholly or partly beneath the ground surface
- Subterranean waterfall – Waterfall located underground
References
- Palmer, Arthur N. (2007). Cave geology. Dayton, Ohio: Cave Books. ISBN 978-0-939748-66-2. OCLC 74965086.
- Kelly, Daniel (24 January 2014). "Dragon's Breath Cave Holds the World's Largest Underground Lake". Lake Scientist. Archived from the original on 1 March 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
- "Dragon's Breath, Namibia". National Geographic. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
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