Missing lake swallowed up by crack
Story Highlights
Scientists uncover mystery of Chilean lake that disappeared last monthThe lake, in Southern Chile, developed a crack, and the water drained away
The lake is slowly filling up with water again, scientists say
Scientists attribute the incident to the effects of global warming
SANTIAGO, Chile (Reuters) -- Scientists said that a lake in southern Chile that mysteriously disappeared last month developed a crack which allowed the water to drain away.
Undated photo shows a lake in the Chilean Andes as it was before May.
1 of 2 A buildup of water opened a crack in an ice wall along one side of the lake.
Water flowed through the crack into a nearby fjord and from there into the sea, leaving behind a dry lake-bed littered with icebergs, scientists told Chilean state television Tuesday.
"It looks like it's slowly filling up with water again," said Andres Rivera, a glacier expert who headed a team which recently flew over the lake in a bid to solve the mystery.
The lake is situated in the Magallanes region in Patagonia and is fed by melt-water from glaciers.
Earlier this year it had a surface area of 10-12 acres -- about the size of 10 soccer fields.
Scientists noticed it had disappeared during a routine patrol of the area in May.
Rivera said the incident was evidence of the effects of global warming.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/07/04/missing.lake.reut/index.html
