Lago O'Higgins / San Martín
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Lago O'Higgins Lake San Martín |
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| Satellite image ISS (north to left) | ||
| Geographical location | Santa Cruz Province (Argentina) and Aysén Region , Chile | |
| Tributaries | Río Mayer | |
| Drain | Río Pascua | |
| Data | ||
| Coordinates | 48 ° 50 ′ S , 72 ° 36 ′ W | |
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| Altitude above sea level | 250 m | |
| surface | 1 013 km² | |
| Maximum depth | 836 m | |
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| The glacier water turns some branches of the lake turquoise blue. | ||
The O'Higginssee or San Martínsee ( Spanish: Lago O'Higgins (in Chile), Lago San Martín (in Argentina)) is a glacial lake in the Andes , located partly in Chile and partly in Argentina , and the deepest on the South American continent.
Location and name
Its original name in Tehuelche was Charre . The lake has been on the border between Argentina and Chile since the border was drawn in 1902 and today has two names: While the Chileans call it after Bernardo O'Higgins , the Argentinean name is dedicated to José de San Martín . The body of water is roughly equally divided between the two countries.
Nearby, both in Chilean territory, are the village of Villa O'Higgins and the O'Higgins Glacier, popular with tourists .
As far as the geographical location is concerned, it forms, together with the two southern glacial lakes, Lago Argentino and Lago Viedma, a coherent group on the edge of the Patagonian glacier, which lies quite clearly east of the main chain of the Andes; But while these two lakes are on the Atlantic side of the watershed on Argentine territory, the water of Lake San Martin flows towards the Pacific and thus to Chile: This quite unusual fact justified, at least in part, the Chilean claims to the lake and the subsequent political claims Division.
depth
The area's larger glacial lakes are about three times larger than the alpine lakes in Europe. According to recent measurements (2003) this lake is said to be the deepest in America with a maximum depth of 836 m. Thus, the deepest point of Lake O'Higgins, close to the glacier, is 586 meters below sea level ( cryptodepression ).
Glaciers and bodies of water
The lake bears the typical, branched shape of the glacial lake and is divided into eight arms. The western end of the heavily branched lake extends deep into the Andes . The glacier tongues flow into the lake in several places and feed it. The Río Pascua (62 km) leads the water to the equally branched Chilean fjords on the Pacific side .
Landscape and climate
The landscape is rather barren: the west bank presents itself as a glacier landscape, while the east side is enlivened somewhat by deciduous trees, for example the Nothofagus pumilio . The lake is characterized by strong wind currents, which have always made shipping difficult - especially in the past. The lake does not freeze over in winter, but due to the harsh climate, its banks were not settled until around 1902.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ World lake database, map ( memento from September 19, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ map
- ↑ lainformacion
- ↑ villaohiggins
- ↑ villaohiggins