crater lake

crater lake
a body of water occupying a roughly circular, steep-sided volcanic crater or caldera.
[1875-80]

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Lake, Cascade Range, southwestern Oregon, U.S. The lake is in a huge volcanic caldera 6 mi (10 km) in diameter and 1,932 ft (589 m) deep.

It is the remnant of a mountain destroyed in an eruption more than 6,000 years ago. The intensely blue lake and its surrounding region became a national park in 1902; the park covers 250 sq mi (647 sq km).

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 deep, clear, intensely blue lake within a huge volcanic caldera in the Cascade Range, southwestern Oregon, U.S., about 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Medford. The lake and its surrounding region became Crater Lake National Park in 1902, with an area of 286 square miles (741 square km).

  The crater from which the lake was formed, about 6 miles (10 km) in diameter, is the remnant of Mount Mazama, a volcano that rose to probably 12,000 feet (3,700 metres) until an eruption about 7,000 years ago destroyed the upper portion. Subsequent lesser outbreaks are indicated by cinder cones on the caldera floor; one of these, Wizard Island, rises 764 feet (233 metres) above the water. Crater Lake has an average surface elevation of 6,173 feet (1,881 metres) above sea level and an average depth of about 1,500 feet (457 metres). Underwater mapping of the lake in 2000 established a maximum depth of 1,943 feet (592 metres)—the previous recorded maximum had been 1,932 feet (589 metres)—making it the deepest lake in the United States and the seventh deepest in the world. Its waters are exceptionally clear, and it is often possible to see to a depth of more than 100 feet (30 metres).

      Animal life inhabiting the area—nearly all of which is protected wilderness—includes deer, bears, eagles, hawks, owls, and grouse, and, particularly in summer, there is an abundance of songbirds and insectivorous birds. Crater Lake contains limited numbers of fish (trout and salmon), introduced by humans. The area's plant life is predominantly pine and fir trees, with wildflowers covering the meadows in summer.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Crater Lake — mit Wizard Island im Vordergrund und Mount Scott links im Hintergrund Daten …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Crater Lake — Vue aérienne du Crater Lake Localisation Coordonnées …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Crater Lake —   [ kreɪtə leɪk], Kratersee in der Cascade Range, im südwestlichen Oregon, USA, 1 880 m über dem Meeresspiegel, 50 km2, 589 m tief; durch Explosion des pleistozänen Vulkans Mount Mazama entstanden (Durchmesser der Caldera 10 km). Im Inneren des… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Crater Lake — For other uses, see Crater Lake (disambiguation). Crater Lake Aerial view; note Wizard Island against the western rim …   Wikipedia

  • Crater lake — This article is about the geological feature. For the lake of the same name in Oregon, see Crater Lake. For other uses, see Crater Lake (disambiguation). Landsat image of Lake Toba, the largest volcanic crater lake in the world …   Wikipedia

  • Crater Lake — a lake in the crater of an extinct volcano in SW Oregon, in Crater Lake National Park. 20 sq. mi. (52 sq. km); 1996 ft. (608 m) deep. * * * Lake, Cascade Range, southwestern Oregon, U.S. The lake is in a huge volcanic caldera 6 mi (10 km) in… …   Universalium

  • Crater Lake — a lake in the crater of an extinct volcano in SW Oregon, in Crater Lake National Park. 20 sq. mi. (52 sq. km); 1996 ft. (608 m) deep …   Useful english dictionary

  • Crater Lake — geographical name lake 1932 feet (589 meters) deep SW Oregon in Cascade Range at altitude of 6164 feet (1879 meters); main feature of Crater Lake National Park …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Crater Lake National Park — IUCN Category II (National Park) …   Wikipedia

  • Crater Lake Lodge — U.S. National Register of Historic Places …   Wikipedia

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