The 1,400 hectare lake in Chile disappears after a night

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

According to Mysterious Universe, photographs of Riesco Lake in the Blanco River valley before and after May 30 show that the lake water is drained without leaving any trace. Before completely disappearing, Lago Riesco Lake has an average depth of 72m and a deep position of 130m.

Riesco Lake in Patagonia, 1,400 hectares of Chile dried up after a night.(Photo: Mysterious Universe).

Scientists have not found the reason why the lake has dried up. The volcanoes in the area remain stable and have no unusual activity. According to one hypothesis, Riesco Lake may dry up due to its 1,200km long Liquiñe-Ofqui fault line across southern Chile.

This rupture band frequently causes earthquakes, but no special seismic activity is recorded before Lake Riesco disappears. The researchers also found no sinkholes or cracks that could drain the lake water.

Scientists cannot explain the cause of lake water disappearing.(Photo: Mysterious Universe).

Another less convincing hypothesis is given by Marcio Villouta Alvarado, head of Patagonia's Public Service, a drought caused by the El Nino phenomenon affecting the region. The average rainfall in the lake area this year is only 34% of the annual rainfall. This may explain the lowering of the lake water but not help explain why the lake disappeared after only one night.