Iliamna Lake
| Iliamna Lake | ||
|---|---|---|
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| North shore of Iliamna Lake | ||
| Geographical location | Lake and Peninsula Borough ( Alaska , USA ) | |
| Tributaries | Newhalen River | |
| Drain | Kvichak River | |
| Places on the shore | Iliamna , Newhalen , Kokhanok , Pedro Bay | |
| Data | ||
| Coordinates | 59 ° 32 ′ N , 155 ° 1 ′ W | |
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| Altitude above sea level | 14 m | |
| surface | 2 622 km² | |
| length | 124 km | |
| width | 35 km | |
| volume | 115 km³ | |
| Maximum depth | 301 m | |
| Middle deep | 44 m | |
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particularities |
oligotrophic sea; |
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The Iliamna Lake (also Lake Iliamna ) is a lake in the southwest of the US state Alaska on the Alaska Peninsula .
With an area of 2,622 km², it is the largest lake in Alaska and one of the largest in North America. The lake is 124 km long and up to 35 km wide. The outflow is the Kvichak River . The villages of Iliamna , Newhalen , Kokhanok and Pedro Bay are on the shores of Lake Iliamna.
The lake is oligotrophic (nutrient-poor) and covered with ice from December to May. The eastern end of Iliamna Lake is up to 301 m deep, but has numerous small islands, while the western end is wide and shallow and has few islands. In contrast to neighboring Lake Clark , the water of Iliamna Lake is clear.
The name of the lake is likely of Athabaskan origin. All words with the final syllable "na" have a reference to water. It is likely related to the size of the lake, but the exact origin is unclear.
Monster from Iliamna Lake
The Iliamna Lake monster is a modern legend. The "Iliamna Lake Monster", also known as "Illie" by the locals, is a cryptid that is said to appear in Iliamna Lake. There is talk of sightings and attacks on people. The animal is said to be three to nine meters (10 to 30 feet) long and have an angular head with which it is said to have attacked boats. Proof of the physical existence of this animal has not yet been produced.
history
Stories about the Iliamna Lake Monster are based on legends of the Aleutians who feed on fishing in the lake. In reports of observation flights in the 1940s, there is talk of large fish whose shadows are said to have been seen while flying over them. In the 1950s, a large, aluminum-colored fish is said to have been observed, the appearance of which corresponds to what the native people say. In 1979 the Anchorage Daily News offered $ 100,000 for whoever provides evidence of the existence of the Iliamna Lake Monster. The Discovery Channel funded another hunt for the unknown animal in 2011.
Sightings
- 1942: Babe Alyesworth and Bill Hammersley report on a large fish they saw from an airplane.
- 1963: A biologist observes a large fish, but it does not appear on the surface.
- 1977: A pilot spotted a large fish while flying over Pedro Bay, whose tail fin became visible-
- 1987: Local resident Verna Kolyaha observes a large, black fish with a white stripe on its dorsal fin.
- 1988: Various residents see a large black fish swimming near the surface from land.
Theories
The Iliamna Lake Monster has certain parallels to Ogopogo , a similar cryptid from Lake Okanogan in the Canadian province of British Columbia . Some contradict this thesis because the sea monster in Iliamna Lake does not have a serpentine shape. The biologist and adventure filmmaker Jeremy Wade suspects that it is not a monster, but a particularly large white sturgeon . According to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, a white sturgeon can in exceptional cases be up to six meters long and over 100 years old. It is a fish that lives close to the bottom, which explains why there are few sightings. So far, however, no white sturgeon has been caught in Lake Iliamna. Other researchers believe the monster could be a Cadborosaurus . Newer theories take into account that it is a sleeping shark .
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.alaskascienceoutreach.com/index.php/features/sis_parttwo/what_lies_beneath_lake_iliamna/
- ↑ "Monster Lurks beneath the Waters of Lake Iliamna," Anchorage Daily News. April 14, 1989
- ↑ Beat: Discovery investigates Alaska's 'Loch Ness Monster', July 18, 2011 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as broken. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b c d e http://www.unknownexplorers.com/iliamnalakemonsters.php
- ↑ http://cryptoreports.com/alaskas-iliamna-lake-monster-nessie-of-the-north
- ↑ Craig Medred: Discovery joins a long list of Lake Iliamna Loch Ness watchers, July 25, 2011
- ↑ Weight: Scientist wonders if Nessie-like monster in Alaska lake is a sleeper shark, May 3, 2012 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Redford: Shark mistaken for Lake Monsters, May 4, 2012
