122
southwest of Lhagba La (Pass) and west of
Lhakpa Ri and up the East Rongbuk Glacier. This
wetland fi gures in the National Geographic Map
of Mount Everest (1999). It is situated about
6 km north and 3 km east of the summit of Mt.
Everest. The pool has a length and breadth of
about 180 m and 50 m, respectively.
Changtse Pool (Tibet)
Changtse Pool, lying at 6,216 m MSL, between
28° 3′ N and 86° 55′ E, is a pool of meltwater
that lies in the middle of the Changtse (Beifeng)
Glacier, north of Changtse (Bei Peak) and
southeast of Changzheng Peak. It shows up on
the National Geographic Map of Mount Everest
(1999), about 7 km north and 1 km west of
Chomolungma itself. It appears that the side
glacier coming down from Changzheng Peak
impedes the fl ow of Changtse Glacier proper
and causes a hump where the two glaciers
intersect. Meltwater gathers there, and we get a
lake. Changtse Pool might be a small amount
of water resting on top of the glacier, or it
might be a much larger subsurface aquifer that
saturates the glacier and rises to the surface at
that point. Research suggests the latter. The
lake seems to have a measurement of approx.
180 by 230 m.
East Rongbuk Pool (Tibet)
East Rongbuk Pool, lying at 6,100 m MSL, is a
temporary lake formed during the snowmelt
season at the confl uence of the East Rongbuk
Glacier and the Changtse (Beifeng) Glacier.
East Rongbuk Pool, perhaps, had become a
huge problem for a BBC expedition in 2000,
because it blocked the trail up to Advanced Base
Camp (on the north approach to Mt. Everest)
(Graham Hoyland).
It is believed that the lake drains later in the
season, and for this reason, East Rongbuk Pool
may not be considered, by some, as a true lake. It,
perhaps, does not appear on any map (Russell
Brice). It may be noted here that the East Rongbuk
Glacier is very slow moving compared with other
alpine glaciers. This characteristic makes it
suitable for extracting ice cores and using them
for long-term climate studies.
Acamarachi Pool (Chile)
Acamarachi Pool, lying at 5,950 m MSL, is a
small pocket of liquid water (about 10–15 m at its
long axis) amongst the rocks in the summit crater
of the volcano Acamarachi in northern Chile.
The crater lakes are, perhaps, quite common
in the Andes. Possibly, every volcano with crater and elevation higher than 5,500 m MSL
(and not permanently ice covered) has a lake
formed in it. Sairecabur (5,970 m) next to
Licancabur has also a lake on the fl ank crater,
summit crater being degraded. Also, a volcano
next to El Tatio geyser fi eld, perhaps, has a
lake (Marko Riikonen from Finland).
Lake Licancabur (Chile–Bolivia)
Lake Licancabur, lying at 5,916 m MSL, is a
small lake in the summit crater of the volcano.
It is situated at a height of 19,731 ft (approx.)
near northern Chile’s Atacama Desert. The
international border between Chile and Bolivia
runs right through the volcano. However,
according to some, it is not clear whether the
summit lake is entirely in Chile or in Bolivia or
split in half between the two countries (Claudio
Seebach, Michael Endl). Further, some people
describe that within the 400-m diameter summit crater (SC) is a freshwater lake, having a
length and breadth of 90 m and 70 m (approx.).
The surface area of the lake could be approx.
0.5 ha. This is said to be one of the highest
lakes in the world and hosts a planktonic fauna
of considerable interest to biologists. A high
altitude diving expedition in 1984 found the
lake to be <4 m deep with a low temperature at
the lake bottom. Unexpectedly, scuba gears
were, possibly, hauled up to 19,400 ft (Leach
1986). Further, some people describe it as a
little green crater lake at the summit. The green
colour comes from the plankton or bacteria in
the lake (Marko Riikonen).
It may be noted here that Dr. Nathalie Cabrol
is a planetary geologist with NASA. She has been
studying the presence of ancient water on Mars
and the possibility of Martian life forms. Lake
Licancabur is the closest analogue to Mars on
Earth: cold, dry, windy and protected by only a
thin atmosphere. So, there are plans of the scien6 Lakes of the World
southwest of Lhagba La (Pass) and west of
Lhakpa Ri and up the East Rongbuk Glacier. This
wetland fi gures in the National Geographic Map
of Mount Everest (1999). It is situated about
6 km north and 3 km east of the summit of Mt.
Everest. The pool has a length and breadth of
about 180 m and 50 m, respectively.
Changtse Pool (Tibet)
Changtse Pool, lying at 6,216 m MSL, between
28° 3′ N and 86° 55′ E, is a pool of meltwater
that lies in the middle of the Changtse (Beifeng)
Glacier, north of Changtse (Bei Peak) and
southeast of Changzheng Peak. It shows up on
the National Geographic Map of Mount Everest
(1999), about 7 km north and 1 km west of
Chomolungma itself. It appears that the side
glacier coming down from Changzheng Peak
impedes the fl ow of Changtse Glacier proper
and causes a hump where the two glaciers
intersect. Meltwater gathers there, and we get a
lake. Changtse Pool might be a small amount
of water resting on top of the glacier, or it
might be a much larger subsurface aquifer that
saturates the glacier and rises to the surface at
that point. Research suggests the latter. The
lake seems to have a measurement of approx.
180 by 230 m.
East Rongbuk Pool (Tibet)
East Rongbuk Pool, lying at 6,100 m MSL, is a
temporary lake formed during the snowmelt
season at the confl uence of the East Rongbuk
Glacier and the Changtse (Beifeng) Glacier.
East Rongbuk Pool, perhaps, had become a
huge problem for a BBC expedition in 2000,
because it blocked the trail up to Advanced Base
Camp (on the north approach to Mt. Everest)
(Graham Hoyland).
It is believed that the lake drains later in the
season, and for this reason, East Rongbuk Pool
may not be considered, by some, as a true lake. It,
perhaps, does not appear on any map (Russell
Brice). It may be noted here that the East Rongbuk
Glacier is very slow moving compared with other
alpine glaciers. This characteristic makes it
suitable for extracting ice cores and using them
for long-term climate studies.
Acamarachi Pool (Chile)
Acamarachi Pool, lying at 5,950 m MSL, is a
small pocket of liquid water (about 10–15 m at its
long axis) amongst the rocks in the summit crater
of the volcano Acamarachi in northern Chile.
The crater lakes are, perhaps, quite common
in the Andes. Possibly, every volcano with crater and elevation higher than 5,500 m MSL
(and not permanently ice covered) has a lake
formed in it. Sairecabur (5,970 m) next to
Licancabur has also a lake on the fl ank crater,
summit crater being degraded. Also, a volcano
next to El Tatio geyser fi eld, perhaps, has a
lake (Marko Riikonen from Finland).
Lake Licancabur (Chile–Bolivia)
Lake Licancabur, lying at 5,916 m MSL, is a
small lake in the summit crater of the volcano.
It is situated at a height of 19,731 ft (approx.)
near northern Chile’s Atacama Desert. The
international border between Chile and Bolivia
runs right through the volcano. However,
according to some, it is not clear whether the
summit lake is entirely in Chile or in Bolivia or
split in half between the two countries (Claudio
Seebach, Michael Endl). Further, some people
describe that within the 400-m diameter summit crater (SC) is a freshwater lake, having a
length and breadth of 90 m and 70 m (approx.).
The surface area of the lake could be approx.
0.5 ha. This is said to be one of the highest
lakes in the world and hosts a planktonic fauna
of considerable interest to biologists. A high
altitude diving expedition in 1984 found the
lake to be <4 m deep with a low temperature at
the lake bottom. Unexpectedly, scuba gears
were, possibly, hauled up to 19,400 ft (Leach
1986). Further, some people describe it as a
little green crater lake at the summit. The green
colour comes from the plankton or bacteria in
the lake (Marko Riikonen).
It may be noted here that Dr. Nathalie Cabrol
is a planetary geologist with NASA. She has been
studying the presence of ancient water on Mars
and the possibility of Martian life forms. Lake
Licancabur is the closest analogue to Mars on
Earth: cold, dry, windy and protected by only a
thin atmosphere. So, there are plans of the scien6 Lakes of the World