Lake Taupo
| Lake Taupō | |
|---|---|
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| Location | Taupo District, Waikato Region, North Island |
| Coordinates | 38°48′25″S 175°54′28″E / 38.80694°S 175.90778°ECoordinates: 38°48′25″S 175°54′28″E / 38.80694°S 175.90778°E |
| Type | Crater lake, oligotrophic |
| Primary inflows | Waitahanui River, Tongariro River, Tauranga Taupo River |
| Primary outflows | Waikato River |
| Catchment area | 3,487 km2 (1,346 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | New Zealand |
| Max. length | 46 km (29 mi) |
| Max. width | 33 km (21 mi) |
| Surface area | 616 km2 (238 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 110 m (360 ft) |
| Max. depth | 186 m (610 ft) |
| Water volume | 59 km3 (14 cu mi) |
| Residence time | 10.5 years |
| Shore length1 | 193 km (120 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 356 m (1,168 ft) |
| Islands | Motutaiko Island (11 ha) |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Lake Taupo is a lake in the North Island of New Zealand. It is in the caldera of the Taupo Volcano. 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). Motutaiko Island lies in the south east area of the lake.
Lake Taupo has a perimeter of approximately 193 kilometres and a deepest point of 186 metres. It is drained by the Waikato River (New Zealand's longest river), and its main tributaries are the Waitahanui River, the Tongariro River, and the Tauranga Taupo River. It is a noted trout fishery with stocks of introduced brown and rainbow trout.
Lake Taupo is 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.
The initial event 26,500 years ago is known as the Oruanui eruption. It was the world's largest known eruption over the past 70,000 years, ejecting 1170 cubic kilometres of material and causing several hundred square kilometres of surrounding land to collapse and form the caldera. The caldera later filled with water, eventually overflowing to cause a huge outwash flood. It is possible that the Lake Taupo event contributed to starting the Last Glacial Maximum.
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Wikipedia