Lake Eyre
| Lake Eyre | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Satellite photo of Lake Eyre | ||
| Geographical location | South Australia (Australia) | |
| Tributaries | Warburton River , Cooper Creek | |
| Drain | drainless | |
| Location close to the shore | Marree , William Creek | |
| Data | ||
| Coordinates | 28 ° 34 '17 " S , 137 ° 16' 48" E | |
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| Altitude above sea level | 17 m below sea level | |
| surface | 9690 km² (max.) | |
| Maximum depth | 4 m (max.) | |
| Catchment area | 1,164,063 km² | |
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| Lake Eyre catchment area | ||
The Lake Eyre (dt 'lakes Eyre "; in. Language of the Aborigines : Kati-tanda ) is on the few occasions when it is filled, the largest lake and 17 m below sea level the lowest point in Australia .
Its largest extension can be 9690 km² (about the size of Carinthia or half the size of Saxony ). The salt lake is the center of the vast Lake Eyre Basin . This catchment area has an area of 1,164,063 km².
The lake was named by Europeans after the British explorer Edward John Eyre , who was the first European to see it in 1840. Seen from space, it appears like a kind of "ghost face".
The lake is located in the arid areas of central Australia, in the north of the state of South Australia . The Eyre Basin, a salt clay plain, surrounds the plain of the lake. The water level of the lake in the deepest part of the plain is strongly dependent on the climatic conditions. Even in dry seasons, some water is usually left behind, which collects in several individual lakes (northern and southern Eyre Lake as the largest partial lake, connected by the "Goyder Canal"). During the rainy season , the rivers bring water from the outback to Queensland in the northeast. The amount of rain during the monsoons largely determines how much water reaches the lake and how deep it becomes. In addition, there are occasional fluctuations due to moderate flooding due to rain in the area. Every three years there is a water level of 1.5 meters, and once a decade there is a level of 4 meters. The lake is completely or nearly full about four times a century. By the end of the following summer, most of the water has already evaporated again .
When the water level permits, members of the Lake Eyre Yacht Club also sail on the lake.
See also
Web links
- NASA Earth Observatory pages on Lake Eyre:
- Lake Eyre Yacht Club website
- Ghost face in the desert - Spiegel online article on Lake Eyre
- Australia's flood brings the desert to life - Zeit article on Lake Eyre
Individual evidence
- ↑ Geoscience Australia: Largest Waterbodies (engl.)
- ↑ Australian Catchment, River and Estuary Assessment 2002 ( Memento of the original from October 22, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
