1,400-hectare lake in Chile disappears overnight

The vast Lake Riesco in Chile's southernmost Patagonia province suddenly dried up in a short period of time, puzzling scientists.

Lake Riesco in Patagonia, Chile, with an area of ​​1,400 hectares, dried up overnight. Photo: Mysterious Universe.

According to Mysterious Universe, photos of Lake Riescolocated in the Blanco River valleyBefore and after May 30, the lake was drained without leaving any trace. Before disappearing completely, Lago Riesco had an average depth of 72 m and its deepest point was 130 m.

Scientists have not been able to explain why the lake's water disappeared. Photo: Mysterious Universe.

Scientists have not yet determined what caused the lake to dry up. The volcanoes in the area are stable and show no unusual activity. According to one theory, Lake Riesco may have dried up because it sits on a major fault line called the Liquiñe-Ofqui, which runs 1,200 km through southern Chile.

This fault line regularly generates earthquakes, but no significant seismic activity was recorded before Lake Riesco disappeared. Researchers also found no sinkholes or fissures that could have drained the lake.

A less convincing theory, put forward by Marcio Villouta Alvarado, head of the Patagonia Provincial Public Works Department, is that the El Niño drought has affected the region. The average rainfall in the lake area this year is only 34% of the annual rainfall. This might explain the lower than normal water level, but it does not explain why the lake disappeared overnight.

According to VNE