Viedma Lake Explained

Viedma Lake
Location:Lago Argentino Department, Santa Cruz Province (Argentina)
Type:periglacial lake
Pushpin Map:Argentina Santa Cruz#Argentina#Tierra del Fuego
Outflow:Santa Cruz River
Catchment:7342km2
Basin Countries:Argentina
Length:80km (50miles)
Width:15km (09miles)
Area:1193km2
Depth:100m (300feet)
Max-Depth:ca.900m (3,000feet)
Volume:119km3
Shore:291km (181miles)
Elevation:252m (827feet)

Viedma Lake (Spanish; Castilian: Lago Viedma, pronounced as /es/) is a Patagonian lake in the province of Santa Cruz, Argentina, situated near its border with Chile. Measuring approximately 50 miles (80 kilometers) in length, it is a major elongated trough lake formed from melting glacial ice. Viedma Lake is the second largest perennial lake located entirely within Argentina.[1] The name of the lake comes from the Spanish explorer Antonio de Viedma, who in 1783 reached its shores, being the first European to do so.

The town of El Chaltén and the Andes peaks Cerro Torre and Fitz-Roy lie in the proximity of Lake Viedma.

Lake Viedma is fed primarily by the Viedma Glacier at its western end. The Viedma Glacier measures 3 miles (5 kilometers) wide at its terminus at Lake Viedma. The brown landscape is a result of ice scouring, which left virtually no vegetation on the steep-walled valleys.

Water from lake Viedma flows into Lake Argentino through the La Leona River, and eventually from there into the Atlantic Ocean through the Santa Cruz River.

Although the lake lies in Argentine territory, the western shores of the lake reach the Southern Patagonian Ice Field in an area where the border remains undefined.

See also

Notes and References

  1. "Principal Lagos de la Republica Argentina", http://www.ign.gob.ar/NuestrasActividades/Geografia/DatosArgentina/Lagos, accessed 20 Jul 2018. Note that this list does not include an area figure for the large but seasonal Mar Chiquita.