Nahuel Huapi Lake
| Nahuel Huapi Lake | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | Los Lagos Department, Neuquén Province / Bariloche Department, Río Negro Province, Argentina, in Patagonia |
| Coordinates | 41°05′25″S 71°20′08″W / 41.09028°S 71.33556°WCoordinates: 41°05′25″S 71°20′08″W / 41.09028°S 71.33556°W |
| Type | Glacial lake |
| Primary inflows | Huemul river Correntoso river Bonito river Machete river |
| Primary outflows | Limay River |
| Basin countries | Argentina |
| Max. width | 6.3 mi (10.2 km) |
| Surface area | 205 sq mi (530 km2) |
| Average depth | 515 ft (157 m) |
| Max. depth | 1,437 ft (438 m) deeper places might exist |
| Shore length1 | 222 mi (357 km) |
| Surface elevation | 2,510 ft (770 m) |
| Islands |
Isla Victoria Isla Huemul |
| Settlements |
San Carlos de Bariloche Villa La Angostura |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Nahuel Huapi Lake (Spanish: Lago Nahuel Huapí) is a lake in the lake region of northern Patagonia between the provinces of Río Negro and Neuquén, in Argentina. The lake depression consists of several glacial valleys carved out along faults and Miocene valleys that were later dammed by moraines.
Nahuel Huapi lake, located within the Nahuel Huapi National Park, has a surface of 529 km2 (204 sq mi), rests 2,510 feet (770 m) over the sea level, and has a maximum measured depth (as of 2007) of 1,437 feet (438 m).
The June 2011 eruption of the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcanic complex, in neighboring Chile, caused parts of the lake's surface to be blanketed in volcanic ash.
During the Last Glacial Maximum of the Llanquihue glaciation the lake basin was wholly occupied by a glacier.
The name of the lake derives from the toponym of its major island in Mapudungun (Mapuche language): "Island of the Jaguar (or Puma)", from nahuel, "puma (or jaguar)", and huapí, "island". There is, however, more to the word "Nahuel" - it can also signify "a man who by sorcery has been transformed to a puma" (or jaguar).
Its seven branches are named Blest (36 km²), Huemul (21.5 km²), de la Tristeza (18.5 km²), Campanario (7.9 km²), Machete, del Rincón and Última Esperanza. It is connected to other smaller lakes such as Gutiérrez, Moreno, Espejo and Correntoso. The deep-blue waters hold a number of islands, most notably Isla Victoria with 31 km².
...
Wikipedia