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Lake Muriel (Washington)
Lake Muriel, lying at 14,100 ft MSL, is a subterranean lake heated by fumarole vents within the
summit crater of Mt. Rainier, around Washington,
USA. The summit elevation of Mt. Rainier is
14,410 ft MSL. It was named ‘Muriel’, by the
explorer Bill Lokey after his mother. The
crescent- shaped pool of glacial meltwater looks
quite small, and it has a depth of about 20 ft. It is
said to have a dimension of 50 × 30 ft and an area
of 0.034 acres. This lentic body may not qualify
itself as a lake, mainly because of its too small
size. There are also some comments indicating
that this pool of meltwater is a temporary feature.
Further, Lake Muriel is said to be situated 150–
300 ft below the surface. The ‘surface’ is probably the bottom of the two summit craters, which
are fl at areas enclosed by the low rock walls of
the crater rims.
Pacifi c Tarn Colorado
This peaceful sheet of liquid glass lies perched,
catlike, is situated at 13,420 ft MSL and is said to
have an area of 5 acres in Colorado, USA. A tarn
is a high mountain lake that forms in a glacial
cirque. The chapter speculated that the unnamed
tarn was perhaps the highest lake in the country.
The lake was somewhat arbitrarily named ‘Pacifi c
Tarn’. There seem to be other lakes around, notably, Lake Waiau near the summit of Mauna Kea.
This lake was regarded as the third highest lake in
the USA. Further investigations revealed that
Lake Waiau (area 2 acres approx.) was supposed
to be the highest lake in the USA and the third
highest lake in the world. Further, Pacifi c Tarn
may be a victim of desiccation. As such, it might
serve as a good indicator of global warming and
climate change in the years to come.
Rowe Lake (Colorado)
Rowe Lake, lying at 13,100 ft MSL, is the unoffi cial name for the tarn below Rowe Glacier in
Rocky Mountain National Park, between Rowe
Peak and Hagues Peak (13,560 ft MSL) in the
Mummy Range, in Colorado, USA. Rowe Glacier
Lake might be another reasonable name, since
the tarn is inextricably associated with the glacier, and the glacier is named. Rowe Lake is
roughly oval in shape having a length, breadth
and area of 200 yards, 125 yards and 4 acres,
respectively. The lake is frozen over for much of
the year.
Windom Lake (Colorado)
Windom Lake , lying at 13,100 ft MSL, is the
rocky lake at the top of Grizzly Gulch situated
just east of Windom Peak, between Silverton
and Durango in the San Juan Mountains in
Colorado, USA. Further, Windom Lake appears
to have an island. There is also a little splat of a
pond on the standard route up Mt. Eolus. The
pond is situated east of North Eolus and south
of Glacier Point. It is about 50 yards across, for
an area of 0.4 acres.
Winchell Lakes (Colorado)
The east face of Blanca Peak in the Sangre de
Cristo range has three lakes, situated at 13,100 ft
MSL, generally known as Winchell Lakes in
Colorado, USA. Of these, to be little precise, the
two lower lakes are of a respectable size, and
their elevations are 12,400 and 12,800 ft MSL.
The upper lake is smaller, and its elevation
appears to be about 13,100 ft MSL. The uppermost Winchell Lake is said to have a dimension
of about 80 yards (in width) by 140 yards (in
length) and a surface area of about 2.3 acres.
On the other hand, the uppermost North
Halfmoon Lake is situated at an altitude of about
13,020 ft MSL on the west side of Mt. Massive.
Harriet’s Pool (Colorado)
Harriet’s Pool , situated at an altitude of 13,100 ft
MSL, is a small lake in the cirque of Mts. Lincoln,
Bross, and Cameron Point, in a valley known as
Cameron Amphitheatre in Colorado, USA. James
Graebner named it ‘Harriet’s Pool’ after his
grandmother. Brown trouts are said to occur in
this lake, which makes Harriet’s Pool the highest
lake known to have fi sh. The pool is a parallelogram in shape having a dimension of about 90 m
by 70 m.
Lake Waiau (Hawaii)
Lake Waiau , situated at 13,020 ft MSL, is on the
Big Island of Hawaii, USA, near the summit
6.9 High Altitude (HA) Lentic Bodies
Lake Muriel (Washington)
Lake Muriel, lying at 14,100 ft MSL, is a subterranean lake heated by fumarole vents within the
summit crater of Mt. Rainier, around Washington,
USA. The summit elevation of Mt. Rainier is
14,410 ft MSL. It was named ‘Muriel’, by the
explorer Bill Lokey after his mother. The
crescent- shaped pool of glacial meltwater looks
quite small, and it has a depth of about 20 ft. It is
said to have a dimension of 50 × 30 ft and an area
of 0.034 acres. This lentic body may not qualify
itself as a lake, mainly because of its too small
size. There are also some comments indicating
that this pool of meltwater is a temporary feature.
Further, Lake Muriel is said to be situated 150–
300 ft below the surface. The ‘surface’ is probably the bottom of the two summit craters, which
are fl at areas enclosed by the low rock walls of
the crater rims.
Pacifi c Tarn Colorado
This peaceful sheet of liquid glass lies perched,
catlike, is situated at 13,420 ft MSL and is said to
have an area of 5 acres in Colorado, USA. A tarn
is a high mountain lake that forms in a glacial
cirque. The chapter speculated that the unnamed
tarn was perhaps the highest lake in the country.
The lake was somewhat arbitrarily named ‘Pacifi c
Tarn’. There seem to be other lakes around, notably, Lake Waiau near the summit of Mauna Kea.
This lake was regarded as the third highest lake in
the USA. Further investigations revealed that
Lake Waiau (area 2 acres approx.) was supposed
to be the highest lake in the USA and the third
highest lake in the world. Further, Pacifi c Tarn
may be a victim of desiccation. As such, it might
serve as a good indicator of global warming and
climate change in the years to come.
Rowe Lake (Colorado)
Rowe Lake, lying at 13,100 ft MSL, is the unoffi cial name for the tarn below Rowe Glacier in
Rocky Mountain National Park, between Rowe
Peak and Hagues Peak (13,560 ft MSL) in the
Mummy Range, in Colorado, USA. Rowe Glacier
Lake might be another reasonable name, since
the tarn is inextricably associated with the glacier, and the glacier is named. Rowe Lake is
roughly oval in shape having a length, breadth
and area of 200 yards, 125 yards and 4 acres,
respectively. The lake is frozen over for much of
the year.
Windom Lake (Colorado)
Windom Lake , lying at 13,100 ft MSL, is the
rocky lake at the top of Grizzly Gulch situated
just east of Windom Peak, between Silverton
and Durango in the San Juan Mountains in
Colorado, USA. Further, Windom Lake appears
to have an island. There is also a little splat of a
pond on the standard route up Mt. Eolus. The
pond is situated east of North Eolus and south
of Glacier Point. It is about 50 yards across, for
an area of 0.4 acres.
Winchell Lakes (Colorado)
The east face of Blanca Peak in the Sangre de
Cristo range has three lakes, situated at 13,100 ft
MSL, generally known as Winchell Lakes in
Colorado, USA. Of these, to be little precise, the
two lower lakes are of a respectable size, and
their elevations are 12,400 and 12,800 ft MSL.
The upper lake is smaller, and its elevation
appears to be about 13,100 ft MSL. The uppermost Winchell Lake is said to have a dimension
of about 80 yards (in width) by 140 yards (in
length) and a surface area of about 2.3 acres.
On the other hand, the uppermost North
Halfmoon Lake is situated at an altitude of about
13,020 ft MSL on the west side of Mt. Massive.
Harriet’s Pool (Colorado)
Harriet’s Pool , situated at an altitude of 13,100 ft
MSL, is a small lake in the cirque of Mts. Lincoln,
Bross, and Cameron Point, in a valley known as
Cameron Amphitheatre in Colorado, USA. James
Graebner named it ‘Harriet’s Pool’ after his
grandmother. Brown trouts are said to occur in
this lake, which makes Harriet’s Pool the highest
lake known to have fi sh. The pool is a parallelogram in shape having a dimension of about 90 m
by 70 m.
Lake Waiau (Hawaii)
Lake Waiau , situated at 13,020 ft MSL, is on the
Big Island of Hawaii, USA, near the summit
6.9 High Altitude (HA) Lentic Bodies