Chungará Lake

Coordinates: 18°14′S 69°09′W / 18.233°S 69.150°W / -18.233; -69.150[1]
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the lake in the Arica and Parinacota Region, Chile. For other uses, see Chunkara.

Chungará Lake
Chungara
seepage
Catchment area260 square kilometres (100 sq mi)
Max. length8.75 kilometres (5.44 mi)
Surface area21.5–22.5 square kilometres (8.3–8.7 sq mi)
Max. depth26–40 metres (85–131 ft)
Surface elevation4,517 metres (14,820 ft)

Chungará is a lake situated in the extreme north of Chile at an elevation of 4,517 metres (14,820 ft), in the Altiplano of Arica y Parinacota Region in the Lauca National Park. It has a surface area of about 21.5–22.5 square kilometres (8.3–8.7 sq mi) and has a maximum depth of about 26–40 metres (85–131 ft). It receives inflow through the Río Chungara with some minor additional inflows, and loses most of its water to evaporation; seepage into the Laguna Quta Qutani plays a minor role.

The lake formed between 8,000 and 17,000 years ago when the volcano

Chilean Supreme Court
.

Name

The name Chungará or Chungara is derived from the Aymara language and has several different meanings: Chunka, a type of bush or moss plus the suffix ra that signifies "covered by"; but this meaning appears to have fallen into disuse. A second meaning is Chunkha "beard" which together with the suffix means "bearded" and refers to a myth of a bearded man that came to the area and destroyed a community[2] with fire.[3]

Geography

Chungará Lake is located in the northernmost part of Chile and close to the border with

CONAF refuge lies close to the western shores of the lake. There is also a marina[7] and a pumping plant in the northwestern area of Chungará Lake.[8] Chile Route 11 passes by the southern and western shores of Chungará Lake.[9]

The lake is about 8.75 kilometres (5.44 mi) wide[10] and covers an irregular surface of about 21.5 square kilometres (8.3 sq mi)[11]-22.5 square kilometres (8.7 sq mi),[12] with two large embayments in the northeastern and the southern sectors of the lake and a narrower one in its northwestern corner. Its deepest point is 26 metres (85 ft)[1]-40 metres (130 ft) deep[12] and lies in the northwestern sector of the lake.[7] The northern and western side of the lake have steep shores, while the southern and eastern ones are much more gentle;[10] the eastern shore is covered by a large alluvial fan[13] and the southern one by sediments deposited by the Río Chungara tributary.[10] The lake floor features platforms, flat areas and sloping areas.[14] 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) northwest from Chungará Lake lies the Lagunas Cotacotani.[15]

The volcanoes

lava flows from Parinacota volcano. While Parinacota is well preserved, Ajoya and Quisiquisini (5,516 metres (18,097 ft)[16]) on the eastern shore of the lake are moderately eroded.[11] Farther south from Chungará Lake lies the 6,063 metres (19,892 ft) high Guallatiri.[16]

Panorama of Chungará Lake

Hydrology

Chungara Lake and Parinacota and Pomerape volcanoes as seen from the ISS. June 2023.

The water temperature reaches its maximum during March with 13.5 °C (56.3 °F) and a minimum in January with 3.5 °C (38.3 °F) according to one study,[17] while temperatures on the lake floor range between 6.4–6.2 °C (43.5–43.2 °F).[18] Water levels vary by 0.5 metres (1 ft 8 in) between seasons[1] and fluctuations of 3–2 metres (9.8–6.6 ft) have been recorded.[19]

The present-day water levels are the highest in the history of the lake and there is no evidence of former lake highstands,

calibrated radiocarbon years ago. Since about 5,000 calibrated radiocarbon years ago lake levels have been high.[21]

The Lake Chungará is part of a 260 square kilometres (100 sq mi)

Nevados de Quimsachata (Acotango, Capurata and Umurata);[22] this river contributes about 4/5 of the water to the lake and enters Chungará Lake on its southeastern corner[1] through a river delta.[13] Other tributaries are the Chachapay,[13] Mal Paso (15 litres per second (0.53 cu ft/s)[23]),[22] Ajata (20 litres per second (0.71 cu ft/s)[23]) and Sopocalane (30–160 litres per second (1.1–5.7 cu ft/s) only during wet periods[23]) creeks which originate on Choquelimpie[22]/Ajoya volcano,[14] which have formed river deltas where they enter the lake; some of the deltas are submerged.[24] In addition, springs supply water into the lake from its western[12] and northern shores where volcanoes border the lake.[11] There are no inflows on the eastern side of Chungará Lake.[13]

Chungará Lake has no

seep into the groundwater table[1] at a rate of 0.2 cubic metres per second (7.1 cu ft/s).[12] The water chemistry of the Cotacotani Lakes imply that they receive water from Chungará Lake[25] at a rate of about 0.25 cubic metres per second (8.8 cu ft/s); this constitutes over half of the inflow to the Cotacotani Lakes.[26] The role of this underground outflow has progressively decreased through the history of the lake as silt has accumulated in the breccia through which the groundwater seeps out.[27] The Cotacotani Lakes eventually drain into the Lauca River.[23]

The total volume of the lake is about 0.426 cubic kilometres (0.102 cu mi). Chungará Lake is

alkaline and saline[19] and show influence of dolomite rocks.[28] This lake chemistry is homogeneous throughout the lake[29] and the lake waters are subject to strong currents at the surface.[14]

Geology

The lake was formed by volcanic-tectonic phenomena;

Rio Lauca[30] which drained the area. Upon damming, water from the river accumulated and formed Chungará Lake.[31] The exact time of the collapse is controversial. Faulting also played a minor role in the formation of the lake basin,[12] with a southwest-northeast trending fault disrupting sediments in the northwestern sector of the lake.[32] Since the birth of Chungará Lake, about 10 metres (33 ft) of sediment have accumulated on its floor.[33]

Volcanism in the area has been ongoing since the Paleozoic[1] and has continued until recent times, which has influenced Chungará Lake.[34] A number of volcanoes such as Parinacota, Ajoya and Quisiquisini grew on a Miocene ignimbrite basement that crops out east of the lake;[11] of these only Parinacota has been active in the Holocene, depositing tephra within the lake.[18]

Climate

Temperatures at the lake average 4.2 °C (39.6 °F),

solar insolation.[36]

Human use

The area of the lake is inhabited by Aymara people who engage in animal husbandry, using alpacas, cattle, llamas and sheep and live on farms and pastoral refuges.[6]

  • The marina of Chungará Lake
    The marina of Chungará Lake
  • Road and roadsign on Chungará Lake
    Road and roadsign on Chungará Lake
  • Road on Chungará Lake
    Road on Chungará Lake

Environmental issues

In the 1970s water was pumped from Chungará Lake to the Azapa Valley to allow for irrigation, but quickly ceased when water levels dropped and the flora and fauna of the lake were damaged.[9] For this purpose, the Canal Chungará was built by the Chilean Ministry of Public Works to transfer water into the Laguna Cotacotani which is the headwater of the Lauca-Azapa system.[22]

This project was opposed by environmentalists.

Chilean Supreme Court ruled that international obligations such as the CITES need to be considered by the Chilean government[38] and prohibited the use of the waters of Chungará Lake;[37] the ruling by disallowing the use of the waters of Chungará Lake forced the Arica y Parinacota Region to seek other sources of water for the growing economy.[39]

Accumulation of rubbish in the area of Chungará Lake has become a major issue, as a lot of waste is discarded by for example drivers on the Chungara–Tambo Quemado road between Chile and Bolivia. The Chilean government has thus organized cleanup operations to remove some of the waste.[40]

Biology

The lake hosts a diverse plant and animal community.

grasses.[12]

The shoreline vegetation draws birds in such as Andean gull, Chilean flamingo, crested duck, giant coot and Puna plover.[40][41]

  • Birdlife, including Chilean flamingo, at Chungará Lake
    Birdlife, including Chilean flamingo, at Chungará Lake
  • Shoreline vegetation and landscape
    Shoreline vegetation and landscape

Aided by the highly transparent waters,

molluscs and turbellaria such as Ancylus, Pisidium and Taphius.[41]

The

cladocera make up the zooplankton.[41] Microbial colonies occur on the shores of Chungará Lake.[19]

Fish

The most important and only native fish in Chungará Lake are two endemics; the pupfish Orestias chungarensis and catfish Trichomycterus chungaraensis.[41][43]

Orestias chungarensis of Chungará Lake is most closely related to other

Salar de Ascotan and Salar de Carcote. This reflects that these waterbodies and the Lauca River were once joined by the former Lake Tauca.[44] In Chungará Lake these fish occur at elevations of over 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi); Orestias is among the fish with the highest occurrences in the world.[45] They are further considered to be threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Chilean National Museum of Natural History.[46]

The rainbow trout also lives in the lake and is considered an invasive species there as it feeds on the threatened Orestias fish; the Chilean government has thus envisaged to take measures to eradicate the fish from the lake.[46]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Mühlhauser et al. 1995, p. 342.
  2. ^ Mamani 1994, p. 119.
  3. ^ Mamani 1994, p. 121.
  4. ^ "Región de Arica y Parinacota" (in Spanish). Servicio de Evaluación Ambiental. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  5. ^
    ISSN 0366-1644
    .
  6. ^ a b c Mamani 1994, p. 118.
  7. ^ a b c Pueyo et al. 2011, p. 341.
  8. ISSN 0716-078X
    .
  9. ^ a b c Herrera et al. 2010, p. 300.
  10. ^ a b c Hernández et al. 2008, p. 352.
  11. ^ a b c d Herrera et al. 2010, p. 306.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Moreno et al. 2007, p. 5.
  13. ^ a b c d Sáez et al. 2007, p. 1215.
  14. ^ a b c d e Sáez et al. 2007, p. 1195.
  15. ^ División de estudios y planificación 2010, p. 38.
  16. ^ a b c d Sáez et al. 2007, p. 1193.
  17. ^ Mühlhauser et al. 1995, p. 343.
  18. ^ a b c d Sáez et al. 2007, p. 1194.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g Pueyo et al. 2011, p. 340.
  20. ^ Sáez et al. 2007, pp. 1217–1218.
  21. ^ Sáez et al. 2007, p. 1220.
  22. ^ a b c d e División de estudios y planificación 2010, p. 17.
  23. ^ a b c d Niemeyer, Hans F. "HOYAS HIDROGRÁFICAS DE CIDLE : PRIMERA REGIÓN" (PDF) (in Spanish). DIRECC!ON GENERAL DE AGUAS. p. 95. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 November 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  24. ^ Sáez et al. 2007, p. 1214.
  25. ^ Herrera et al. 2010, p. 309.
  26. ^ Herrera et al. 2010, p. 316.
  27. ^ Hernández et al. 2008, p. 361.
  28. ^ a b Mühlhauser et al. 1995, p. 347.
  29. ^ Herrera et al. 2010, p. 308.
  30. ^ Sáez et al. 2007, pp. 1199–1200.
  31. ^ Sáez et al. 2007, p. 1218.
  32. ^ Sáez et al. 2007, p. 1196.
  33. ^ Sáez et al. 2007, p. 1219.
  34. ^ Moreno et al. 2007, p. 16.
  35. ^ Mühlhauser et al. 1995, p. 346.
  36. ISSN 0717-9707
    .
  37. ^ a b División de estudios y planificación 2010, p. 18.
  38. ISSN 0718-6851
    .
  39. ^ División de estudios y planificación 2010, p. 5.
  40. ^ a b "Más de 30 toneladas de basura son extraídas en operativo de limpieza del Lago Chungará" (in Spanish). División de Gobierno Interior. 21 April 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  41. ^ a b c d Mühlhauser et al. 1995, p. 344.
  42. ^ Mühlhauser et al. 1995, p. 348.
  43. ^ Vila et al. 2013, p. 931.
  44. ^ Vila et al. 2013, p. 938.
  45. ^ "Conociendo los peces de Bolivia: Las ninfas de las montañas (Orestias spp.): Peces que habitan el Altiplano de Bolivia" (in Spanish). Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Bolivia. 6 July 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  46. ^ a b "Acuerdan medidas para erradicar trucha arcoiris del lago Chungará" (in Spanish). Subsecretaría de Pesca y Acuicultura. 9 November 2015.

Sources

External links

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