![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/Green_Lake_%2528PP-30-6-027%2529.jpg/640px-Green_Lake_%2528PP-30-6-027%2529.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Green Lake (Hawaii)
Lake of the United States / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Green Lake[1] (Hawaiian: Ka Wai o Pele)[2] was a freshwater crater lake in Puʻu Kapoho crater on the island of Hawaiʻi. With a surface area of 0.8 hectares (2.0 acres) and a maximum depth of 61 metres (200 ft),[3] it was the largest natural freshwater lake in the Hawaiian Islands,[4] and, along with Lake Waiau, was one of two freshwater lakes on Hawaiʻi Island.
Green Lake | |
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Ka Wai o Pele | |
![]() Green Lake, photographed in the 1890s | |
Location | Hawaiʻi, United States |
Coordinates | 19°30′08″N 154°50′22″W |
Type | Volcanic crater lake |
Basin countries | United States |
Surface area | 0.5 ha (1.2 acres) |
Max. depth | 61 m (200 ft) |
Hawaiian myths state that the lake was the first place visited by Pele, the volcano deity.[5] The lake was a popular swimming spot for locals and tourists.[6] Extensive vegetation, mainly Hibiscus tiliaceus, overhung the lake, shading about twenty percent of the lake's surface.[4]
On June 2, 2018, the lake was destroyed when lava flowing from Kīlauea's lower Puna eruption boiled it away and completely filled the entire basin.[7][8]
- Ka Wai o Pele
- Aerial photograph of lava flows evaporating Green Lake on June 2, 2018