Write about formation of lakes with examples
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A natural lake is a fairly large body of water occupying an inland basin (low-lying geographic area). Lakes cover only about 1 percent of the continents, and contain less than 0.02 percent of the world's water, but they are important ecosystems and may be sources of water supply in certain regions.
Lakes are extremely varied in terms of origin, occurrence, size, shape, depth, water chemistry, and other features. Lakes can be only a few hectares in surface area (i.e., less than a square kilometer), or they can be thousands of square kilometers. Their average depth can range from a few meters to more than a thousand meters. Lakes can be nearly uniformly round, or they can be irregularly shaped. Their water can be highly acidic (as in some caldera lakes), nearly neutral, or highly alkaline (as in soda lakes). Lakes can be low in nutrients (oligotrophic), moderately enriched (mesotrophic), or highly enriched (eutrophic).
Lakes may be fresh-water or salt-water (saline). As shown in the table, most of the world's largest lakes are fresh-water, with some exceptions (e.g., Caspian Sea, Aral Sea, and Great Salt Lake). Fresh-water lakes contains less than 1 gram per liter of salt, whereas saline or hypersaline lakes, such as the Great Salt Lake (Utah), may contain more than 250 grams per liter. For comparison, sea water contains about 35 grams per liter. Saline lakes typically occur in arid climates, and occupy closed basins (low areas which lack stream outflow).
Natural Processes Leading to Lake Formation
Natural lakes can form by various processes. Although many of these processes occurred in the geologic past, lakes continue to form and to be destroyed. For example, an earthquake-triggered landslide created Lake Sarez in Tajikistan only three generations ago. In May 1980, Spirit Lake at the foot of Mount Saint Helens, Washington (USA) was greatly reduced in size when the volcano erupted, pouring rock, mud, and debris into the one-popular resort lake.
Tectonic Activity.
Many lakes have formed as a result of tectonic movements of the Earth's crust. Lake Baikal, located in eastern Russia, formed in the Baikal Rift of the Siberian Platform. Lakes Tanganyika, Malawi (formerly Nyasa), Kivu, Turkana, Mobutu, Magadi, Naivasha, and Natron lay along the East African Rift Valley. Other crustal movements influencing lake formation include uplift of the seafloor (Caspian Sea and Aral Sea), and uplift around a central basin (Lake Victoria).
The Basin and Range Province of the western United States contains tectonic lakes in the valleys between fault-block mountains (Lake Tahoe, California-Nevada border). Many Basin and Range lakes are remnants of larger lakes that existed 10,000 to 30,000 years ago, during the Pleistocene epoch (Ice Age). The Great Salt Lake, which covers 2,500 to 6,000 square kilometers (960 to 2,300 square miles) and is about 10 meters (33 feet) deep, is a remnant of Pleistocene Lake Bonneville, which covered 50,000 square kilometers (19,300 square miles) and was 300 meters (980 feet) deep.
Glacial Activity.
Lakes tend to be largest and most abundant in high latitude areas in the Northern Hemisphere that were occupied by glaciers
Lakes are extremely varied in terms of origin, occurrence, size, shape, depth, water chemistry, and other features. Lakes can be only a few hectares in surface area (i.e., less than a square kilometer), or they can be thousands of square kilometers. Their average depth can range from a few meters to more than a thousand meters. Lakes can be nearly uniformly round, or they can be irregularly shaped. Their water can be highly acidic (as in some caldera lakes), nearly neutral, or highly alkaline (as in soda lakes). Lakes can be low in nutrients (oligotrophic), moderately enriched (mesotrophic), or highly enriched (eutrophic).
Lakes may be fresh-water or salt-water (saline). As shown in the table, most of the world's largest lakes are fresh-water, with some exceptions (e.g., Caspian Sea, Aral Sea, and Great Salt Lake). Fresh-water lakes contains less than 1 gram per liter of salt, whereas saline or hypersaline lakes, such as the Great Salt Lake (Utah), may contain more than 250 grams per liter. For comparison, sea water contains about 35 grams per liter. Saline lakes typically occur in arid climates, and occupy closed basins (low areas which lack stream outflow).
Natural Processes Leading to Lake Formation
Natural lakes can form by various processes. Although many of these processes occurred in the geologic past, lakes continue to form and to be destroyed. For example, an earthquake-triggered landslide created Lake Sarez in Tajikistan only three generations ago. In May 1980, Spirit Lake at the foot of Mount Saint Helens, Washington (USA) was greatly reduced in size when the volcano erupted, pouring rock, mud, and debris into the one-popular resort lake.
Tectonic Activity.
Many lakes have formed as a result of tectonic movements of the Earth's crust. Lake Baikal, located in eastern Russia, formed in the Baikal Rift of the Siberian Platform. Lakes Tanganyika, Malawi (formerly Nyasa), Kivu, Turkana, Mobutu, Magadi, Naivasha, and Natron lay along the East African Rift Valley. Other crustal movements influencing lake formation include uplift of the seafloor (Caspian Sea and Aral Sea), and uplift around a central basin (Lake Victoria).
The Basin and Range Province of the western United States contains tectonic lakes in the valleys between fault-block mountains (Lake Tahoe, California-Nevada border). Many Basin and Range lakes are remnants of larger lakes that existed 10,000 to 30,000 years ago, during the Pleistocene epoch (Ice Age). The Great Salt Lake, which covers 2,500 to 6,000 square kilometers (960 to 2,300 square miles) and is about 10 meters (33 feet) deep, is a remnant of Pleistocene Lake Bonneville, which covered 50,000 square kilometers (19,300 square miles) and was 300 meters (980 feet) deep.
Glacial Activity.
Lakes tend to be largest and most abundant in high latitude areas in the Northern Hemisphere that were occupied by glaciers
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Lake➫ A large body of water that is surrounded by land.
➧ Benefits of lakes are:-
========================
❱ They help us to regulate the flow of river.
❱ They prevent flooding and during the dry season they help to maintain the flow of water.
❱ They moderate the climate of the surrounding areas.
❱ They maintain an aquatic ecosystem & help in developing tourism.
❱ They help to generate Hydro electricity power.
❱ They provides edible salt.
Ex:- Sambhar lake
_________
Thanks...✊
✭✮ӇЄƦЄ ƖƧ ƳƠƲƦ ƛƝƧƜЄƦ✮✭
┗─━─━─━─━∞◆∞━─━─━─━─┛
Lake➫ A large body of water that is surrounded by land.
➧ Benefits of lakes are:-
========================
❱ They help us to regulate the flow of river.
❱ They prevent flooding and during the dry season they help to maintain the flow of water.
❱ They moderate the climate of the surrounding areas.
❱ They maintain an aquatic ecosystem & help in developing tourism.
❱ They help to generate Hydro electricity power.
❱ They provides edible salt.
Ex:- Sambhar lake
_________
Thanks...✊
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