How deep is deep lake
How deep is deep lake
Deepest Lake in the World
& Deepest Lake in the United States
Satellite Image of Lake Baikal: Image by Geology.com using NASA Landsat data.
The World’s Deepest Lake
Lake Baikal in southern Russia is the world’s deepest lake. It is an estimated 5,387 feet deep (1,642 meters), and its bottom is approximately 3,893 feet (1,187 meters) below sea level. Lake Baikal is also the world’s largest freshwater lake in terms of volume.
It is difficult to comprehend how a lake in the middle of the Asia could have a bottom that is nearly 4,000 feet below sea level. It is impossible for erosion to cut a channel that deep in the middle of a continent.
Lake Baikal is so deep because it is located in an active continental rift zone. The rift zone is widening at a rate of about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) per year. As the rift grows wider, it also grows deeper through subsidence. So, Lake Baikal could grow wider and deeper in the future.
Lake Baikal map: Lake Baikal is located in southern Siberia near the city if Irkutsk. Map from the CIA Factbook.
Crater Lake: Panorama view of Crater Lake showing the steep crater wall that surrounds the lake and Wizard Island, a small volcano within the crater. Photo copyright iStockphoto / ziggymaj.
Deepest Lake in the United States:
The deepest lake in the United States is Crater Lake, a volcanic crater in southern Oregon. Its deepest measured depth is 1,949 feet (594 meters). It is the ninth-deepest lake in the world.
It is an amazing lake because no rivers flow into it or out of it. The water level in the lake is a balance between rainfall, groundwater flow and evaporation.
The lake is a volcanic crater that formed about 7600 years ago in the aftermath of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recent geologic history. The explosive eruption ejected about 150 cubic kilometers of material, then the volcano collapsed into the empty magma chamber below to form a deep basin known as a caldera.
Deepest Lakes in the World
Crater Lake bathymetry: Bathymetry image of Crater Lake by USGS. The deepest areas are in the northeast portion of the lake. Enlarge map.
| Information Sources |
| [1] Crater Lake: Summary on the USGS Volcano Hazards Program website. Page last updated February 2015; last accessed August 2016. |
[2] Facts about Crater Lake: Article on the Oregon Explorer Natural Resources Digital Library website, a collaboration of Oregon State University Libraries & Press and the Institute for Natural Resources. Last accessed August 2016.
[3] Morphometric Data for Lake Baikal: The INTAS Project 99-1669 Team, October 2002. Marc DeBatist of Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. Last accessed August 2016.
Actual Lake Depths Will Vary
Searching online, a person may find several different depths listed for the same lake. Why is this?
The recorded depth of a lake may vary over time, depending on multiple factors.
Crater Lake, for example, does not have any streams or rivers flowing into or out of the lake. The water level is relatively constant because, remarkably, the amount of water coming into the lake (via rainfall and snowfall) generally equals the amount of water going out of the lake (via evaporation and seepage).
Since the depth of Crater Lake is directly influenced by the climate, it is easy to imagine how the water level would drop in a year of drought, or how the lake would become deeper in a year of record precipitation. These ideas can be applied to lakes fed and drained by rivers as well.
Another example of how the depth of a lake can change is with Lake Baikal, which is located over a continental rift. The rift is slowly getting wider and deeper each year, which means that the size of the lake is changing, too.
Three different depths were recorded at three different points in time with three different methods of measurement. Which is correct? They could all be accurate, or, none of them may be exactly right. There’s no way to know with 100% certainty.
That is why it’s important to keep in mind that these statistics are simply estimates, and the actual measurements are constantly changing, ever so slightly, even from one day to the next.
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How Deep is Flathead Lake? Discover Montana’s Deepest Lakes
Montana is known for its breathtaking landscapes, fresh mountain air, and plentiful national parks filled with abundant wildlife. Its freshwater lakes are among the cleanest in the world and provide miles of shoreline for many forms of recreation.
Flathead Lake is a Montana jewel that attracts visitors worldwide for its leisure activities and awe-inspiring environment. So, how deep is Flathead Lake? Find out! Plus, discover Montana’s deepest lakes.
About Flathead Lake, Montana
Flathead Lake is in Northwest Montana and is one of the largest natural freshwater lakes on the west side of the country. The lake is a remnant of the ancient Lake Missoula from 15,000 years ago and formed during the last interglacial period. A dam was placed in the 1930s, artificially modifying the lake’s level and providing hydroelectric power.
This Montana lake is about 200 square miles, with about 185 miles of recreational shoreline. There are 13 public access points, with the southern end falling into tribal land. People flock to the lake swimming, boating, fishing, picnicking, sailing, waterskiing, and camping. There is also a 2,200-acre island only accessible by boat, where you can go to view wildlife and hike. Also, it’s a great spot to view bald eagles.
How Deep is Flathead Lake?
Flathead Lake has a maximum depth of 370 feet and an average depth of 164 feet. It is about 30 miles long and 16 miles wide and is one of the cleanest lakes in the world for its size. This lake is similar in surface area to Lake Tahoe, except it lacks its extreme depths, which topple 1600 feet.
The lake is 30 miles southwest of Glacier National Park, located in the scenic part of Montana with two highways curving around its shoreline. It’s bordered by two mountains, Mission and Salish, and its region has a mild climate, allowing orchards and vineyards to flourish. Now that you know about Flathead Lake in Montana, discover the deepest lakes in the state and the opportunities they provide.
The Deepest Lakes in Montana
Here are six of the deepest lakes in Montana:
Lake Mcdonald
At 472 feet, Lake Mcdonald is the largest lake in Glacier National Park, and it’s also one of the deepest in the state (if not the deepest). This lake was formed from glacial carving, and there is evidence from the peaks surrounding the water. Researchers discovered a 200-year-old underwater forest and unearthed relics from the past, like old wood stoves and garden tools. Its waters contain many native fish species, but it’s not an excellent spot for fishing due to the nutrient-poor water. But you can participate in water sports, hiking, and wildlife viewing (bears, moose, and deer).
Tally Lake
Tally Lake is a low-elevation freshwater lake in the Northwest region. It’s 20 miles west of Whitefish and is a popular destination for fishing, boating, swimming, and hiking. Its surface area is over 1200 acres, and with a maximum depth of 445 feet, it is also one of Montana’s most profound bodies of water. Tally Lake sits roughly 3,500 feet above sea level, and because of its high level of tannins, it retains heat better and keeps it warmer. Its water contains many native fish species, and the picturesque scenery with forested mountains flanking the long, narrow valley provides a perfect place to spend an afternoon fishing.
Lake Koocanusa
Damming the Kootenai River in 1972 created the Koocanusa reservoir, an artificial lake in the Northwest corner of Montana on the Canadian border. The lake is 90 square miles, with 48 miles inside Montana and the other 42 in British Columbia. This reservoir contains 1.65 trillion gallons of water, with an average depth of 300 feet and a maximum depth of 361, making it one of the deepest in the state. The turquoise water stays relatively warm in the summer, attracting visitors for swimming, wakeboarding, canoeing, and kayaking. You can also explore the surrounding areas by hiking and biking.
St. Mary Lake
Evelyn D. Harrison/Shutterstock.com
St. Mary Lake is the second largest lake in Glacier National Park, with a length of almost ten miles and an average depth of 300 feet. Its waters are colder due to its high altitude of 4,484 feet, with temperatures rarely reaching above 50 degrees. During the winter, a four-foot thick layer of ice covers the surface. During warmer months, St. Mary Lake is a hot spot for boating, waterskiing, and fishing, and the surrounding landscape provides some of the best hiking. Check out the cascading waterfalls on the nearby mountains. Also, for any movie-lovers, this lake was the opening shot for The Shining.
Whitefish Lake
This lake is northwest of the city of Whitefish and is aptly named for its abundance of mountain whitefish. It has an elevation of almost 3,000 feet, a little over five miles of surface area, and a max depth of 233 feet. This lake has a secluded campground and beach area with mature woodlands that make a perfect summer adventure for hiking and biking. This area has numerous recreational activities like swimming, boating, fishing, camping, and water skiing. Whitefish Lake is also a state park with the nearby Whitefish Mountains offering seasonal skiing and snowboard opportunities.
Fort Peck Lake
This lake is a major Montana reservoir created by dams on the Missouri River. With a surface area of 245,000 acres, it touches six counties in the Eastern prairies of the state. It’s the fifth largest manmade lake in the country, with a max depth of 220 feet, extending 134 miles with over 1,500 miles of shoreline. This reservoir is a popular tourist attraction, with 27 recreational sites and a national wildlife refuge bordering most of its beaches. It was also a filming location for Jurassic Park III.
Deep Lake
Found on the far western end of the Preserve, there exists a unique feature in the state of Florida, with an equally unique history. This 90-foot-deep naturally occurring sinkhole lake is the deepest lake south of Lake Okeechobee, and one of the deepest in the entire state. Interestingly, studies show the top half is freshwater, and the lower is saltwater.
Because of its abundance of lush vegetation, water, and high ground, it is a magnet to not just wildlife, but for people as well.
Chief Holata Micco, also known as Billie Bowlegs, 1858.
Born in 1810, Seminole Chief Holata Micco, better known as Billie Bowlegs, and his family, held territory very near here. The land was relatively high and fertile, making it conducive to growing fruit trees and gardens. Following the Second Seminole War in 1842, they lived in relative peace. However, in 1855, either intentionally, or by accident, a group of US Army engineers and surveyors destroyed the camp, fruit trees, and gardens when he wasn’t there. This act is what many historians believe was the catalyst that started the Third Seminole War, from 1855-1858.
After years of resistence he surrendered in 1858, after relentless hounding and pressure from the US Army and relocated to «Indian Territory,» present day Oklahoma, with the rest of his family and tribe. He died in 1859.
Walter G. Langford
Shortly after 1900, approximately 300 aces of the Deep Lake area were acquired by Walter Langford and John Roach, with plans to develop the land into a grapefruit enterprise. After years laborious work the land was mostly cleared of pine trees. A hearty variety of marsh seedless grapefruit trees were planted, which could handle the elements and produce fruit quickly.
Due to a lack of infrastructure in Southwest Florida at the time, the partners in the grapefruit enterprise had difficulty bringing supplies and fruit trees from Fort Myers and had to ship their matured fruit by oxcart to market. Since there were no roads, canals, nor railways, they built their own tiny rail system in 1913, from Everglades to Deep Lake.
They created a gas-powered railroad car out of a Ford automobile engine, and mounted on a four-wheeled rail car. The wheels were flanged to run on the rail, along with some small flat cars mounted on four wheels to transport their crop. The railway line eventually extended to Everglades City. However, the line had been laid without benefit of a grade, so it was prone to flooding in wet weather.
By 1915, boxes of Deep Lake grapefruit were being brought to market by the thousands.
Walter Langford died in 1920, at age 47.
Charles Torrey Simpson
In 1921, upon hearing about this intriguing natural feature, Charles Torrey Simpson, a renouned American botanist and conservationist visited the lake one year before Barron Collier purchased it. He describes the lake in detail in his book, Out of Doors in Florida. «It’s possible for the lake to have been an enormous spring that has long since been dead.» He concludes his study by stating: «The bottom of the lake is sloped like a cone and if a line rested on one of its shelves it would register 95 feet, but if it went through the mouth of the spring it would probably be unfathomable.»
Though he tended to avoid controversy regarding development, in Ornamental Gardening in Florida, he wrote, «Mankind everywhere has an insane desire to waste and destroy the good and beautiful things this nature has lavished upon him.»
In 1921, Barron Collier, a wealthy streetcar advertising magnate and entrepreneur, and friend of John Roach, became heavily interested in the area, not just as a retreat for hunting and relaxing, but also for its business potential.
He purchased the grapefruit grove and the Deep Lake Railroad from John Roach and Walter Langford in 1922, and steadily bought up land in the area to grow his business, later called Deep Lake Grove & Cannery. He then purchased additional land, including George Storter’s large holdings south of Deep Lake and around Halfway Creek, for the purpose of expanding his railroad.
Completed in 1928, he sold the Deep Lake Grove Railway to Atlantic Coastline Railway. This would later become State Road 29.
Eventually, he would even build a hunting lodge styled after large resort cottages, for the purpose of hosting parties for guests and as a base for hunting expeditions. Remants of this elaborate retreat are still visible today.
However, due to labor costs, lowered profits and the death of Barron Collier the business closed after a decade of prosperity in early 1940.
Deep Lake Trail
Since 1974, Big Cypress has cared for this beautiful site for you to enjoy. There is a short two mile round-trip trail that leads you to Deep Lake from the Deep Lake Fire Station. This trail is comprised of part of the old rail line. Although little of Barron Collier’s business remains, if you look down while hiking you can still see cypress railroad ties leading the way.
How Deep Is the Deepest Hole in the World?
There’s a portal to the center of the earth in the wreckage of an abandoned project site in Murmansk, Russia. What’s it for? And why is the Internet Googling “Kola Superdeep Borehole screams?”
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A portal to the center of the earth sits among the ruins of an abandoned project site in Murmansk, Russia, not far from the Norwegian border. Sure, it’s covered and welded shut, but it still sounds like a horror film to me. The deepest hole ever dug may be pretty unassuming, but I suspect I’m not alone in being a little freaked out by it. An internet search about the world’s deepest hole turns up the suggestion «Kola Superdeep Borehole screams.» No wonder locals call it the well to hell.
Before the very idea of a superdeep hole starts haunting your dreams, keep this in mind—the hole is only nine inches in diameter (that’s about 23 centimeters). There’s no way you could fall into it.
How deep is the deepest hole?
Known as the Kola Superdeep Borehole, the deepest hole ever dug reaches approximately 7.5 miles below the Earth’s surface (or 12,262 meters), a depth that took about 20 years to reach.*
The hole was intended to go “as deep as possible,” which researches expected to be around 9 miles (that’s
14,500 meters). But the scientists and engineers were forced to give up when they hit unexpectedly high temperatures. At 7.5 miles below the surface, the 2.7 billion year old rocks there at temperatures of around 180 degrees Celsius (or a scorching 356 degrees Fahrenheit). This was almost twice as hot as they’d predicted.
Such high temperatures deform the drill bits and pipes. The rocks themselves also become more malleable. The Russian scientists in Kola described the rocks at those depths as behaving more like plastic than rock.
Since the drilling was stopped in 1992, and the project site was abandoned around a decade later, the Kola Superdeep Borehole has maintained the record for the deepest artificial point on Earth. Humans have since dug longer boreholes, including the 12,289-meter borehole drilled in the Al Shaheen Oil Field in Qatar and the 12,345-meter offshore oil well near the Russian island of Sakhalin. But the hole in Kola remains the deepest.
Why do we dig deep holes?
There are a few reasons we humans dig deep into the Earth—extracting resources like fossil fuels and metals, for starters. A 100-year-old copper mine in the mountains near Salt Lake City, Utah hosts a pit that extends three quarters of a mile deep and spans 2.5 miles. At 215 meters, the Kimberley Diamond Mine in South Africa is one of the largest holes in the world dug by human hands.
We also dig, of course, for science. Experiments looking for neutrinos, nearly massless subatomic particles that get produced in explosive astronomical events like exploding stars and gamma-ray bursts, have to put their detectors far below the Earth’s surface. That’s the case for the University of Wisconsin’s IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica. These depths are needed to pick out the faint signal of the neutrinos from the stronger background radiation at the Earth’s surface. In the case of IceCube, their experiments run as far down as 1.5 miles via holes “dug” by pouring tens of thousands of pounds of hot water to melt the ice.
Drilling the Kola Superdeep Borehole was, for the most part, purely science-driven. Soviet scientists wanted to learn more about our planet’s outermost layer, called the crust, to understand how that crust has formed and how it evolved. Now, I say “for the most part” because people have likened efforts to dig the deepest hole to the space race. Science was the goal, but everyone wanted bragging rights for winning the race to the center of the Earth.
An American effort, known as Project Mohole, attempted to drill deep into the floor of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico in 1958. The project’s goal was to reach the boundary where the Earth’s crust meets the next layer, called the mantle. Congress discontinued funding in 1966 when the drillers had reached only 183 meters (or a tenth of a mile).
In the early 90s, German scientists reached about 6 miles below the surface in Bavaria with the German Continental Deep Drilling Program. There, they hit seismic plates and found temperatures of 600 degrees Fahrenheit. Due to lack of funds, that project was also abandoned.
The Japanese drillship Chikyu has drilled almost 2 miles into the ocean floor, the deepest we’ve dug in the ocean for science. BP’s Deepwater Horizon, which was lost in the infamous explosion and oil spill in 2010, holds the overall record for deepest offshore hole at about 5 miles below the sea floor.
*Editor’s Note (3/23/21): This sentence was revised after posting to correct the metric figure for the depth of the Kola Superdeep Borehole.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)
Sabrina Stierwalt, PhD, is an astrophysicist at Occidental College and the host of the Everyday Einstein podcast on Quick and Dirty Tips.
How Deep Is The Crater Lake?
Where Is Crater Lake?
Crater Lake is located in the western state of Oregon. It is the main geographical feature of the national park of the same name. Open to the public in 1902, it was originally formed approximately 7600 years ago after Mount Mazama—an active volcano—collapsed on itself. Today, Crater Lake is considered the deepest lake in the United States.
How Deep Is Crater Lake?
The average depth of Crater Lake is 1,148 feet (350 meters), but at its deepest point, it measures a whopping 1,949 feet (594 meters), making it the ninth deepest lake in the entire world. If it were humanly possible to stack the Eiffel Tower, the Washington Monument, and the Statue of Liberty on top of each other, all three could be completely submerged into its cold depths. Crater Lake stretches 20.53 square miles and holds approximately five trillion gallons of water. Nonetheless, it is the second deepest lake in North America, trailing behind Great Slave Lake in Canada by 71 feet (27 meters).
The small Phantom Ship island on the Crater Lake. Image credit: Kris Wiktor/Shutterstock.com
Water Level In The Crater Lake
Crater Lake is unique because it is isolated from all other water sources. In other words, no river flows in or out of the basin. The high water level is largely a result of groundwater flow, rainfall, and snowfall. In fact, Crater Lake is one of the snowiest places in the United States with a yearly average of 43 feet (13 meters) of snow.
However, the water level has not changed much throughout the past hundred or so years. In 1886, a group from the US Geological Survey conducted a test using a lead pipe and piano wire to measure the lake’s depth. After lowering the device into 168 spots, they discovered that at its deepest point it measured 1,994 feet (608 meters). In 1959, a different experiment was conducted and came up with only slightly different results: 1,932 feet (589 meters). And finally, in 2000, Crater Lake’s deepest point clocked in at 1,949 feet (594 meters); this is roughly only a three percent difference from 1886.
With precipitation outpacing evaporation rates by almost double, many scientists have questioned where the extra water goes, but most assume that seepage is responsible for maintaining this natural balance.
Can You Swim In Crater Lake?
Woman Hiker Relaxing in Hammock Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. Image credit: Kris Wiktor/Shutterstock.com
Most of the lake cannot be accessed for swimming and as per the nps.gov, there is only one place where it is safe to swim in the lake. The 1.1 miles long Cleetwood Cove Trail leads visitors to the lake shore after a nearly 700 ft drop. Visitors can swim in the lake at this area.
Appearance Of The Lake
The spectacular slopes of the crater leading to the Crater Lake of Oregon. Image credit: Theerapat Chawannakul/Shutterstock.com
Discovered in 1853, Crater Lake used to be called Deep Blue Lake by early European explorers for its striking blue hue. Because no other water source travels into the lake, it is free of sediment and mineral deposits, granting it a clear, mirrorlike quality. It is also famous for being one of the cleanest lakes in the world. Near the western shore lies Wizard Island, and on the southern, a natural rock pillar called Phantom Ship.
Wildlife
A chipmunk in the Crater Lake National Park. Image credit: Victoria Ditkovsky/Shutterstock.com
Crater Lake is home to some of the most interesting birds in the United States, including the bald eagle, Steller’s jay, and the mountain chickadee. Numerous mammals roam the surrounding area as well: Roosevelt elk, the yellow-bellied marmot, and the American pine marten. However, because it is a contained body of water, the lake initially did not have any fish. They were first brought in at the end of the nineteenth century. Six species flourished for a while, but there are currently only two that still exist: the rainbow trout and the kokanee salmon.