Environment

Disappearing Lake in Chile's Southern Andes

by Sarah_14 | June 21, 2007 at 12:13 pm

2731 views | 25 Recommendations | 5 comments

Apparently, when a five acre glacier lake in Chile's southern Andes was visited in late May it was discovered that is had disappeared. "Say what?" You might ask, but there is no joke. Evidence the lake was ever even there? Ice that once floated on the top of the lake, now sitting on rocks, and a large 100-foot crater where the lake once stood. The scientists and geologists are stumped, saying one theory is that water leaked through cracks in the lake bottom into underground
fissures, but there were no earthquakes in the area recently to cause any cracks. They do not know how the cracks would have appeared.

So for now, a small trickle from what once was a river coming out of the missing lake, is all that is left.

Original Story:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/06/21/missing.lake.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

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Victoria Revay

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 12:32 on June 21st, 2007

Sarah_14, thanks for this awesome post. I like the way you summarized the article and then added the link. You could also try the highlight tool the next time and grab it right from the source. You can download it at wwww.nowpublic.com/highlight

Jordan Yerman

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 12:35 on June 21st, 2007

What a strange story! Thanks for posting this.

babblingdweeb

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 12:45 on June 21st, 2007

Good stuff! I was reading this in the morning news. Thanks for bringing it to our attention. The area seems to have been riddled with tremors lately, hopefully this is the only occurrence Chile will have to deal with.

Sarah_14

at 13:04 on June 21st, 2007

Thanks for commenting everyone!

Victoria: I will try that! Thank you!

Jordan : No problem, just trying out my writing skills : D

Babblingdweeb: Dweeb, eh? : D Chile has been having tremors? I didn't know that. Thank you! Yes, hopefully nothing else happens.

Brian 92839100019279915561 (not verified)

at 10:16 on November 25th, 2008

If I were to wager a theory based strictly on guessing and having read this story twice... it makes sense to me that the fissures in the bottom of the lake were always present, but sealed with ice. Gradual increased temperatures caused the ice to melt to the point that the weight of the water broke through and flowed to the ocean. Over time, this fissure will freeze over again and again and eventually a new lake will form on top of it. That lake, too, will gradually warm the ice until it again breaks and the lake disappears.

I think that's a great theory. Now, where's my Nobel Prize?