Spirit Lake (Washington)
| Spirit Lake | ||
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| Spirit Lake in March 2005 | ||
| Geographical location | Washington , USA | |
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| Coordinates | 46 ° 16 '27 " N , 122 ° 8' 1" W | |
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The Spirit Lake is a lake on the north flank of Mount St. Helens , in Skamania County , Washington . After the eruption of the volcano on May 18, 1980 , it was filled with volcanic material and shifted its height by 60 m. Even decades after the eruption, large quantities of tree trunks are still floating on the lake, which were washed into the lake together with a pyroclastic current and which only rot very slowly due to the low average temperatures.
The increased water level was seen as a danger because if the bank structures had broken, the water masses would have escaped in a catastrophic flood event . That is why the United States Army Corps of Engineers bored a tunnel as a drain and overflow from the lake into Coldwater Creek, which flows over the North Fork Toutle and the Toutle River into the Cowlitz River .
When Mount St. Helens erupted, a complete flank of the mountain was removed, the material fell into the valley and collected in the small lake. The entry of sulfur and other minerals acidified the lake. When the biomass was broken down, the oxygen in the water was consumed, so that the lake overturned . Contrary to the expectations of the scientists, however, the regeneration did not take several decades; the oxygen cycle had already started again after the precipitation and temperature cycles of two winters.
Spirit Lake is located in the priority zone for ecological research in the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument and the mandatory trails apply . On the Windy Ridge chain to the east of the sanctuary there is a viewpoint over the lake that can be approached via a forest road. From there, a marked, short and steep path leads to the only permitted point on the shore of the lake.
Web links
- USGS, Mount St. Helens, Points of Interest: Spirit Lake
- Spirit Lake in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
Individual evidence
- ↑ US Forest Service: Mount St. Helens: Harmony Trail