Crater Lake Sunset

As wildfires rage in the distance, Crater Lake is silhouetted by an array of orange, red and yellow. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in North America... more

by Brian Harig

Title

Crater Lake Sunset

Artist

Brian Harig

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

As wildfires rage in the distance, Crater Lake is silhouetted by an array of orange, red and yellow. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in North America (over 1900 feet). Crater Lake National Park - Oregon

Crater Lake is a caldera lake located in the south-central region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and famous for its deep blue color and water clarity. The lake partly fills a nearly 2,148-foot deep caldera that was formed around 7,700 years ago by the collapse of the volcano Mount Mazama. Human interaction is traceable back to the indigenous Native Americans witnessing the eruption of Mount Mazama. There are no rivers flowing into or out of the lake; the evaporation is compensated for by rain and snowfall at a rate such that the total amount of water is replaced every 250 years. At 1,943 feet, it is the deepest lake in the United States, and the seventh deepest in the world.
Crater Lake is known for the "Old Man of the Lake", a full-sized tree which is now a stump that has been bobbing vertically in the lake for more than a century. The low temperature of the water has slowed the decomposition of the wood, hence the longevity of the bobbing tree.
Two islands are in Crater Lake, with Wizard Island from a cinder cone that erupted after Crater Lake began to fill with water, and Phantom Ship Island with seven different trees living on it. There are also colonies of violet green swallows, and several varieties of wildflowers and lichens living there.

Uploaded

February 14th, 2011