| Crater Lake | |
|---|---|
| Giiwas (Klamath-Modoc) | |
 Panoramic winter view of Crater Lake from Rim Village | |
  Crater Lake Location in Oregon  Crater Lake Crater Lake (the United States) | |
 Bathymetric survey | |
| Location | Klamath County, Oregon |
| Coordinates | 42°57′N 122°06′W / 42.95°N 122.10°W |
| Lake type | Volcanic crater lake |
| Primary inflows | precipitation and snowmelt only |
| Primary outflows | evaporation, subsurface seepage to Wood River |
| Catchment area | 23.3 sq mi (60 km2) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 6 mi (9.7 km) |
| Max. width | 5 mi (8.0 km) |
| Surface area | 20.6 sq mi (53 km2) |
| Average depth | 1,148 ft (350 m) |
| Max. depth | 1,949 ft (594 m)[1] |
| Water volume | 4.49 cu mi (18.7 km3) |
| Residence time | 157 years |
| Shore length1 | 21.8 mi (35.1 km) |
| Surface elevation | 6,178 ft (1,883 m) |
| Islands | Wizard Island Phantom Ship |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Crater Lake (Klamath: Giiwas)[2] is a volcanic crater lake in south-central Oregon in the Western United States. It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and is famous for its deep blue color and water clarity. The lake partly fills a 2,148-foot-deep (655 m) caldera[3] that was formed around 7,700 (± 150) years ago[4] by the collapse of the volcano Mount Mazama. No rivers flow into or out of the lake; the evaporation is compensated for by rain and snowfall at a rate such that the total amount of water is replaced every 150 years.[5] With a depth of 1,949 feet (594 m),[6] the lake is the deepest in the United States. In the world, it ranks tenth for maximum depth, as well as third for mean (average) depth.[7]
Crater Lake features two small islands. Wizard Island, located near the western shore of the lake, is a cinder cone about 316 acres (128 hectares) in size. Phantom Ship, a natural rock pillar, is located near the southern shore.
Since 2002, one of Oregon's regular-issue license-plate designs has featured Crater Lake[8] and a one-time plate surcharge is used to support the operation of Crater Lake National Park.[9] The commemorative Oregon State Quarter, which was released by the United States Mint in 2005, features an image of Crater Lake on its reverse.[10]
The lake and surrounding park areas offer many recreational activities, including hiking, biking, snowshoeing, fishing, and cross-country skiing, and during the summer, campgrounds and lodges at Crater Lake are open to visitors.
- ^ "Bathymetry and the Floor of Crater Lake". www.usgs.gov. USGS. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Klamath Tribes Language Project". The Klamath Tribes. 2012. Archived from the original on August 20, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
- ^ "Facts about Crater Lake". Oregon Explorer. Oregon State University. Archived from the original on March 22, 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
- ^ "Crater Lake". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved December 18, 2008.
- ^ Cranson, K. R. (2005). Crater Lake, gem of the Cascades: the geological story of Crater Lake National Park, Oregon (3rd ed.). Lansing, Mich: KRC Press. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-9770880-0-3.
A drop of water entering Crater Lake will remain there for about 150 years, its so-called residence time. Another way to think about residence time is the average amount of time required to refill a basin with new water if it were to be empted.
- ^ Bacon, CR; Gardner, JV; Mayer, LA; Buktnenica, MW; et al. (June 2002). "Morphology, volcanism, and mass wasting in Crater Lake, Oregon" (PDF). GSA Bulletin. 114 (6): 675–692. Bibcode:2002GSAB..114..675B. doi:10.1130/0016-7606(2002)114<0675:mvamwi>2.0.co;2. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ See further details in the prose and citations of #Dimensions and depth.
- ^ Goetze, Janet (August 26, 2002). "Crater Lake plates aglow with color". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. p. B4.
- ^ Killen, John (November 20, 2014). "Oregon license plates: Something for just about everyone". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
- ^ "The Oregon Quarter: The United States Mint". U.S. Department of the Treasury. Archived from the original on September 27, 2009. Retrieved June 29, 2007.