America's deepest lake formed from a volcano

Crater Lake in Oregon, formed from a volcanic crater, is 592m deep and contains crystal clear water, making it one of the 10 most impressive lakes on Earth.

According to Mother Nature Network , Crater Lake, located in Crater Lake National Park , Oregon, USA, is one of the iconic crater lakes in the US. Locals here believe that the mountain collapsed due to a battle between the god of the underworld Llao and the god of the sky Skell.

Wizard Island is one of Crater Lake's most notable features. (Photo: NPS Photo/Kim Chamales).

At 592m deep, Crater Lake is so deep that if you stacked six Statues of Liberty on top of each other, it would still not reach the surface. As its name suggests, Crater Lake is a volcanic crater filled with water. According to the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, it was formed about 7,700 years ago when Mount Mazama collapsed in one of the most powerful eruptions in the past 12,000 years.

Over time, this crater gradually filled with water from rain and melted snow . The lake has no rivers flowing in or out, the only source of water comes from rainfall , making the water in the lake extremely clear and dark blue.

In the middle of the lake are two islands, Wizard Island and Phantom Ship, named so because it looks like a mysterious ghost ship emerging from the water. It is also home to the "Old Man of the Lake" , a 9m tall tree stump that has been floating vertically on the lake for more than a century.

Crater Lake's total surface area is 53 square kilometers ^, which is relatively small given its enormous depth. This part of Oregon often sees heavy snowfall in the winter, but the lake rarely freezes completely due to the large volume of water it holds for its relatively small surface area. According to the National Park Service, the last time Crater Lake froze over was in 1949.

Sometimes in the summer, a strange yellow slime builds up on the surface of the lake. While visitors often worry that it is some kind of chemical pollution, it is actually natural pollen from the surrounding pine trees.

There are no native fish species in Crater Lake, but several were introduced between 1888 and 1941 for fishing purposes. Today, the two species that still thrive are kokanee salmon and rainbow trout. The lake also has the common rough-skinned salamander, which has an unusual coloration, dark belly, and black spots that resemble a panther. It is also home to a variety of wildlife, including elk, black-tailed deer, American black bears, mountain lions, American rock rabbits, and bald eagles.