The Case of the Disappearing Lake in Chile

Dropping water level is one thing. But when a 100 foot-deep lake (30 metres) with a surface area of 332,000 square feet (101,200 square metres) just up and disappears, park rangers take note. Even if it is in such a remote area it has never been named. The lake, according to The Guardian, was last seen three months ago: Now, dust bunnies are flying around a huge, dry, empty crater (this image is an actual crater - not the former lake).

"In March we patrolled the area and everything was normal. We went again in May and to our surprise we found the lake had completely disappeared," Juan José Romero, regional director of Chile's National Forestry Corporation, said this week. "The only things left were chunks of ice on the dry lake-bed and an enormous fissure."

So what happened? A team of geologists and other scientists are on their way to find out, but the suspect--despite the lowering and disappearance of lakes in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru--is not global warming. The theory is based on what happens when you pull the plug in the tub: An earthquake created a crack and all the water drained out. Via ::The Guardian More on lakes ::The Upside of Global Warming ::Save Water When You Shower

Image courtesy of Universe Today