CRATER LAKES 2

13. Lago de Atitlán (Guatemala)

Lago de Atitlán Lake Atitlan Guatemala 2009 panorama [ Photo by chensiyuan / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Lake Atitlán (Lago de Atitlán) is a large endorheic lake (one that does not flow to the sea) in the Guatemalan Highlands. While Atitlan is recognized to be the deepest lake in Central America, its bottom has not been completely sounded. Estimates of its maximum depth range up to 340 meters. The lake is shaped by deep escarpments which surround it and by three volcanos on its southern flank. Lake Atitlan is further characterized by towns and villages of the Maya people. Lake Atitlán is about 50 kilometres (31 mi) west-northwest of Antigua. Lake Atitlán should not be confused with Lake Amatitlán. Lake Amatitlán is located about 65 kilometres (40 mi) southeast of Lake Atitlán and 16 kilometres (10 mi) southeast of Antigua. Lake Atitlán is much larger than Lake Amatitlán. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

14. Laguna Chicabal (Guatemala)

Laguna Chicabal, Guatemala [ Photo by MarritzN / public domain ]

Laguna Chicabal (Laguna Chikabal) is a Guatemalan lake sacred to the Mam Mayan people. The lake is located in the municipal boundary of the town of San Martín Sacatepéquez in the department of Quetzaltenango. A crater lake, Laguna Chicabal was formed in the crater of Volcán Chicabal at an elevation of 2,712 meters (7,130 feet). The terrain surrounding the lake is a cloud forest. Laguna Chicabal is billed as the center of the Mam-Maya "cosmovision", and Mayan traditionalists still use the several altars on the lake shore. Restrictions are placed on visiting the lake during the early part of May so that Mam people can celebrate their traditional ceremonies without disturbance. Because of its spiritual importance, swimming is prohibited in Laguna Chicabal. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

15. Laguna de Ayarza (Guatemala)

Ayarza lagoon, Santa Rosa (Guatemala) [ Photo by www.guate360.com / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Laguna de Ayarza is a crater lake in Guatemala. The lake is a caldera that was created some 20,000 years ago by a catastrophic eruption that destroyed a twinned volcano and blanketed the entire region with a layer of pumice. The lake has a surface area of 14 km² and a maximum depth of 230 m. The lake has a surface elevation of 1409 m. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

16. Lake Amatitlán (Guatemala)

View at Amatitlán Lake, Guatemala [ Photo by Hermann Luyken / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Lake Amatitlán (Lago de Amatitlán) is a volcanic lake in south-central Guatemala, fairly close to Guatemala City. It lies in the central highlands, 1,186 m (3890 feet) above sea level. Its maximum depth is 33 m (108 feet) and an average of 18 m (59 feet). The lake is 11 km (7 miles) long and 3 km (2 miles) wide; with an area of 15.2 square kilometers (6 square miles) and a water volume of 0.286 cubic kilometers. The lake's primary inflow is the Villalobos River, and the lake is drained by the Michatoya River, an important tributary of the María Linda River. The town of Amatitlán is situated at the head of the Michatoya river. (based on awikipedia article / cc by-sa)

17. Lake Ipala (Guatemala)

Laguna de Ipala [ Photo by Sergio Ovalle / CC BY-SA 2.5 ]

Laguna de Ipala is a crater lake in Guatemala. The lake is located in the south-eastern departments of Chiquimula at the bottom of a 1 km wide crater of the Ipala volcano. The lake has a surface area of 5.9 km² and is situated at an altitude of 1493 m. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

18. Eyjafjallajökull (Iceland)

Gígjökull covered in ash after the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull [ Photo by Boaworm / CC BY 3.0 ]

Eyjafjallajökull) — Icelandic for "island-mountain glacier" — also known as E15, is one of the smaller ice caps of Iceland, situated to the north of Skógar and to the west of Mýrdalsjökull. The ice cap covers the caldera of a volcano with a summit elevation of 1,666 metres (5,466 ft). The volcano has erupted relatively frequently since the last glacial period, most recently in 2010 and from 1821 to 1823. The name Eyjafjöll describes the southern side of the volcanic massif together with the small mountains which form the foot of the volcano. The village and museum of Skógar are also part of the region undir Eyjafjöllum (meaning "under the Eyjafjalls"). The ice cap covers an area of about 100 square kilometres (39 sq mi), feeding many outlet glaciers. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

19. Kerið (Iceland)

Panoramic photo of Kerið, taken in early October, 2009. [ Photo by Progresschrome / CC BY 3.0 ]

Kerið (occasionally Anglicized as Kerith or Kerid) is a volcanic crater lake located in the Grímsnes area in south Iceland, on the popular tourist route known as the Golden Circle. It is one of several crater lakes in the area, known as Iceland's Western Volcanic Zone, which includes the Reykjanes peninsula and the Langjökull Glacier, created as the land moved over a localized hotspot, but it is the one that has the most visually recognizable caldera still intact. The caldera, like the other volcanic rock in the area, is composed of a red (rather than black) volcanic rock. The caldera itself is approximately 55 m (180 ft) deep, 170 m (560 ft) wide, and 270 m (890 ft) across. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

20. Ijen (Indonesia)

Kawah Ijen a volcano in East Java, Indonesia. [ Photo by jmhullot / CC BY-SA 2.0 ]

The Ijen volcano complex is a group of stratovolcanoes, in East Java, Indonesia. It is inside a larger caldera Ijen, which is about 20 kilometers wide. The Gunung Merapi stratovolcano is the highest point of that complex. (not to be confused with Mount Merapi, Central Java aka Gunung Merapi) Escaping volcanic gasses are channeled through a network of ceramic pipes, resulting in condensation of molten sulfur. The sulfur, which is deep red in color when molten, pours slowly from the ends of these pipes and pools on the ground, turning bright yellow as it cools. The cooled material is broken into large pieces and carried out in baskets by the miners. Typical loads range from 70–100 kilograms, and must be carried to the crater rim approximately 200 meters above before being carried several kilometers down the mountain. Most miners make this journey twice a day. (based on a wikipediaarticle / cc by-sa)

21. Kelud (Indonesia)

Kelud [ Photo by Dan Dzurisin (U.S. Geological Survey) / public domain ]

Kelud (Klut, Cloot, Kloet, Kloete, Keloed or Kelut) is a volcano located in East Java on Java in Indonesia. Like many Indonesian volcanoes and others on the Pacific Ring of Fire, Kelud is known for large explosive eruptions throughout its history. More than 30 eruptions have occurred since 1000 AD. On May 19, 1919, an eruption at Kelud killed an estimated 5,000 people, mostly through hot mudflows (also known as "lahars"). More recent eruptions in 1951, 1966, and 1990 have altogether killed another 250 people. Following the 1966 eruption, the Ampera Tunnels were built (top and bottom) on the southwestern side of the crater to reduce (not drain out to empty) the water of crater lake and thus reduce the lahar hazard. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

22. Lake Toba (Indonesia)

Example of Batak architecture beside the lake near Ambarita. [ Photo by Eugene T. Quah / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Lake Toba (Indonesian: Danau Toba) is a lake and supervolcano, 100 kilometres long and 30 kilometres wide, and 505 metres (1,666 ft) at its deepest point. It is the largest lake in Indonesia and the largest volcanic lake in the world. Lake Toba is the site of a supervolcanic eruption that occurred 69,000-77,000 years ago, a massive climate-changing event. The eruption is believed to have had a VEI intensity of 8. It is believed to be the largest explosive eruption anywhere on Earth in the last 25 million years. According to the Toba catastrophe theory to which some anthropologists and archeologists subscribe, it had global consequences, killing most humans then alive and creating a population bottleneck in Central Eastern Africa and India that affected the genetic inheritance of all humans today. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

23. Lake Albano (Italy)

Lago di Albano, Lazio [ Photo by Mac / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Lake Albano (Italian: Lago Albano or Lago di Castel Gandolfo) is a small volcanic crater lake in the Alban Hills of Lazio, at the foot of Monte Cavo, 20 kilometres (12 mi) southeast of Rome. Overlooking it is Castel Gandolfo, where the Pope has a villa. It is about 3.5 km (2.2 mi) long by 2.3 km (1.4 mi) wide, formed by the overlapping union of two volcanic craters, an origin indicated by the ridge in its center, which rises to a depth of 70 m (230 ft). It hosted the canoeing and rowing events of the 1960 Summer Olympic Games that were held at Rome. The lane marking system developed for these events is commonly referred to as the Albano buoy system. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

24. Lake Avernus (Italy)

Lake Avernus [ Photo by get directly down / CC BY 2.0 ]

Lake Avernus (or Lago d'Averno in Italian) is a volcanic crater lake located in the Avernus crater in the Campania region of southern Italy, around 4 km (2.5 miles) northwest of Pozzuoli. It is near the volcanic field known as the Campi Flegrei and comprises part of the wider Campanian volcanic arc. The lake is roughly circular, measuring 2 km (1 mile) in circumference and 60 m (213 ft) deep. It is unclear whether the lake actually was as deadly as its reputation held it to be – it certainly holds no fears for birds today – but it is possible that volcanic activity could have produced deadly fumes. Volcanically active crater lakes can be extremely dangerous places, as illustrated by the tragic example of Lake Nyos in Cameroon. Avernus was of major importance to the Romans, who considered it to be the entrance to Hades. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

25. Lake Bolsena (Italy)

Lake Bolsena [ Photo by Cproesser / public domain ]

Lake Bolsena (Italian: Lago di Bolsena) is a crater lake of central Italy, of volcanic origin, which was formed starting 370,000 years ago following the collapse of a caldera of the Vulsini volcanic complex into a deep aquifer. Roman historic records indicate activity of the Vulsini volcano occurred as recently as 104 BC, since when it has been dormant. The two islands in the southern part of the lake were formed by underwater eruptions following the initial collapse of the caldera. Bolsena extends upward on the northeast shore, with Orvieto 14 km (8.7 mi) further to the northeast, at the edge of the volcanic region. On the southeast of the lake is Montefiascone at an elevation of 633 m (2,077 ft), up on the ridge of Montefiascone caldera. To the south of the lake is Marta, on the right bank of the Marta River, sole effluent of the lake. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)