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Lake Eyre
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lake Eyre | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | northern South Australia |
| Coordinates | |
| Lake type | endorheic |
| Primary outflows | evaporation |
| Basin countries | Australia |
| Surface area | 9500 km² (max) |
| Average depth | 1.5 m (every 3 years), 4 m (every decade) |
| Surface elevation | -15 m |
Lake Eyre is, on the rare occasions that it fills, the largest lake in Australia and is the lowest point in Australia, at approximately 15 m (50 ft) below sea level (−15m AHD). It is the focal point of the vast Lake Eyre Basin.
The lake is located in the deserts of central Australia, in northern South Australia. The Eyre Basin is a large endorheic system surrounding the lakebed, the lowest part of which is filled with the characteristic playa salt pan caused by the seasonal expansion and subsequent evaporation of the trapped waters. Even in the dry season there is usually some water remaining in Lake Eyre, usually collecting in a number of smaller sub-lakes on the playa.
During the rainy season the rivers from the northeast (in outback Queensland) flow towards the lake through the Channel Country. The amount of water from the monsoon determines whether water will reach the lake and if it does, how deep the lake will get. Torrential rain in January 2007 took about six weeks to reach the lake.[1]
The lake can also experience minor and moderate floods due to rain falling in the surrounding area. Typically a 1.5 m (5 ft) flood occurs every three years, a 4 m (13 ft) flood every decade, and a fill or near fill four times a century. The water in the lake soon evaporates with a minor and medium flood drying by the end of the following summer.
The Lake Eyre Yacht Club is a dedicated group of eccentrics who sail on the lake's minor floods, including trips in 1997, 2000, 2001 and 2004. The club may sail on the lake in 2007.[1]
- ^ a b "Lake Eyre flooding attracts yachting club interest", ABC News Online, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 8 March 2007. Retrieved on March 8, 2007.