CRATER LAKES 3

26. Lake Bracciano (Italy)

A stitched panorama of Lago di Bracciano from Castello Orsini-Odescalchi [ Photo by Computerjoe / CC BY 3.0 ]

Lake Bracciano (Italian: Lago di Bracciano) is a lake of volcanic origin in the Italian region of Lazio, 32 km (20 mi) northwest of Rome. It is the second largest lake in the region (second only to Lake Bolsena) and one of the major lakes of Italy. It has a circular perimeter of approximately 32 km (20 mi). The lake owes its origin to intense volcanic activity from 600,000 to 40,000 years before present, which created many small volcanoes in the Sabatino territory. The main magma chamber was situated under the present lake of Bracciano. Its collapse created the caldera now occupied by the lake, which is a crater lake. Some small craters are still recognisable around the lake and in the immediate vicinity. The lake is an important tourist attraction situated near Rome. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

27. Lake Nemi (Italy)

Lake Nemi [ Photo by sunshinecity / CC BY 2.0 ]

Lake Nemi (Italian: Lago di Nemi, Latin: Nemorensis Lacus) is a small circular volcanic lake in the Lazio region of Italy 30 km (19 mi) south of Rome, taking its name from Nemi, the largest town in the area, that overlooks it from a height. At the Hotel Diana on the Western edge of the crater at Via Nemorense, there is a fine exhibit of the archeological excavation of the late 1920s which exposed the enormous structure which Caligula had ordered built. Emperors Caligula and Tiberius sailed Lake Nemi not merely to cool off in summer, but to assert themselves as Nemorensis, rulers aligning with the Stars, wedded to Earth's perpetual life-force. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

28. Lake Vico (Italy)

Lake Vico [ Photo by Stefano Fiaschi (Fiaschi) / public domain ]

Lake Vico (Italian Lago di Vico) is a volcanic lake in the northern Lazio region, central Italy. It is one of the highest major Italian lakes, with an altitude of 510 m. Administratively, it is part of the municipalities of Caprarola and Ronciglione. The lake is in fact a result of the past volcanic activity of Lazio, originating some 100,000 years ago when an extinguished crater was flooded. Before the construction of a tunnel by the Etruscans, the lake was probably deeper than today, the Monte Venere constituting an island within it. The lake is surrounded by the Cimini Hills, in particular by the Fogliano (965 m) and Venere (851 m) mountains. It is part of the Lake Vico Natural Reserve. The area is famous for its extensive beech forest, which is one of the most southerly in Europe. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

29. Lake Mashū (Japan)

Lake mashu in Hokkaido [ Photo by Miya.m / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Lake Mashū (摩周湖, Mashū-ko?) (Ainu: Kamuy-to) is a landlocked endorheic crater lake formed in the caldera of a potentially active volcano. It is located in Akan National Park on the island of Hokkaidō, Japan. The lake has been called the clearest lake in the world. Lake Mashū is surrounded by steep crater walls 200 metres (660 ft) high. It has no significant inlets and no outlet. The lake is one of the clearest in the world and one of the deepest in Japan. On August 1, 1931 the transparency of the water was measured at 41.6 metres (136 ft). Lake Baikal was measured around the same time measured 40.5 metres (133 ft). This is the lake's claim to clearest in the world. Since the 1950s the transparency has tended to range between 20 and 30 metres (66 and 98 ft). (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

30. Lake Shikotsu (Japan)

Shikotsuko (Lake Shikotsu) in Hokkaido, Japan. [ Photo by Fg2 / public domain ]

Lake Shikotsu is located in the south-west part of Hokkaidō. It has an average depth of 265 metres (869 ft) and a maximum depth of 363 metres (1,191 ft), making it the second deepest lake in Japan, after Lake Tazawa. It is the 8th-largest lake by surface area in Japan and the second largest of Japan's caldera lakes, surpassed only by Lake Kussharo. It is surrounded by three volcanos: Mount Eniwa to the north and Mount Fuppushi and Mount Tarumae to the south. The caldera formed in the holocene when the land between the volcanos subsided. Due to its depth, the volume of Lake Shikotsu reaches 3/4 of the volume of Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, despite of having only 1/9 of that lake's surface area. Due to the small surface area to depth ratio, the water temperature remains quite constant throughout the year, making it the northernmost ice-free lake in Japan. (based on a wikipediaarticle / cc by-sa)

31. Lake Tazawa (Japan)

Kansaku Shrine on Tazawako, a lake in Senboku, Akita Prefecture, Tohoku region, Honshu, Japan. [ Photo by Fg2 / public domain ]

Lake Tazawa (田沢湖, Tazawa-ko?) is a caldera lake in Akita Prefecture, northern Japan. It is the deepest lake in Japan (the maximum depth is 423.0 m). Because of its depth, it never freezes. Formerly the lake was noted for having very clear water which could be compared to Lake Mashu in Hokkaidō. It was polluted due to the construction of a hydroelectric dam in 1940 and acid drainage from a hot spring (onsen). As a result, the indigenous fish kunimasu (Oncorhynchus nerka kawamurae) was thought to have gone extinct, however a living population was found in a different lake in 2010 proving otherwise. The town of Tazawako is named after the lake. The area is served by JR East`s limited express Tazawako Line from Morioka and by the Akita Shinkansen Komachi in 1997. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

32. Lake Towada (Japan)

Lake Towada [ Photo by Soica2001 / public domain ]

Lake Towada (十和田湖, Towada-ko?) is the largest crater lake in Honshū island, Japan. Located on the border between Aomori and Akita prefectures, it lies 400 meters (1,800 ft) above sea level and is 327.0m (1,073 ft) depth, and is drained by the Oirase river. With a surface area of 61.1 km², Towada is Japan's 12th largest lake, its bright blue color is due to its great depth. The lake is roughly circular, with two peninsulas extending from its southern shore approximately one-third into the center of the lake. Lake Towada occupies the caldera of an active volcano, with large scale volcanic eruptions occurring approximately 55,000, 25,000 and 13,000 years ago. The most recent eruption left traces of pyroclastic flows as far away as the modern city of Aomori. (based on awikipedia article / cc by-sa)

33. Lake Taupo (New Zealand)

View of Lake Taupo, New Zealand [ Photo by Bo-deh / CC BY-SA 2.5 ]

Lake Taupo is a lake situated in the North Island of New Zealand. With a surface area of 616 square kilometres (238 sq mi), it is the largest lake by surface area in New Zealand, and the second largest freshwater lake by surface area in geopolitical Oceania after Lake Murray (Papua New Guinea). Lake Taupo lies in a caldera created by a supervolcanic eruption which occurred approximately 26,500 years ago. According to geological records, the volcano has erupted 28 times in the last 27,000 years. It has ejected mostly rhyolitic lava, although Mount Tauhara formed from dacitic lava. Lake Taupo has a perimeter of approximately 193 kilometres, a deepest point of 186 metres. It is drained by the Waikato River (New Zealand's longest river), while its main tributaries are the Waitahanui River, the Tongariro River, and the Tauranga Taupo River. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

34. Ruapehu Crater Lake (New Zealand)

Crater Lake at top of Ruapehu [ Photo by James Shook / CC BY 2.5 ]

Mount Ruapehu, or just Ruapehu, is an active stratovolcano at the southern end of the Taupo Volcanic Zone in New Zealand. It is 23 kilometres northeast of Ohakune and 40 kilometres southwest of the southern shore of Lake Taupo, within Tongariro National Park. The North Island's major skifields and only glaciers are on its slopes. After the 1996 eruption it was recognised that a catastrophic lahar could again occur when the crater lake burst the volcanic ash dam blocking the lake outlet. This is the same mechanism that caused the 1953 lahar. The lake gradually filled with snowmelt and had reached the level of the hard rock rim by January 2005. The lahar finally occurred on the 18 March 2007 (see below). Ruapehu is one of the world's most active volcanoes and the largest active volcano in New Zealand. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)