Laacher See
volcanic crater lake in Germany / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Laacher See (literally: Lake Laach; German pronunciation: [ˈlaːxɐ ˈzeː]) is a volcanic caldera lake located in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.[1][2]
Laacher See Lake Laach | |
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Location | Ahrweiler, Rhineland-Palatinate |
Coordinates | 50°25′N 7°16′E |
Type | Volcanic caldera lake |
Primary inflows | None |
Primary outflows | Fulbert-Stollen (canal) |
Basin countries | Germany |
Max. length | 1.964 km (1.220 mi) |
Max. width | 1.186 km (0.737 mi) |
Surface area | 3.3 km2 (1.3 sq mi) |
Average depth | 31 m (102 ft) |
Max. depth | 51 m (167 ft) |
Water volume | 103,000,000 m3 (3.6×109 cu ft) |
Shore length1 | 7.3 km (4.5 mi) |
Surface elevation | 275 m (902 ft) |
Islands | None |
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. |
The diameter is 2 km, and it is located 24 km from Koblenz, 8 km from Andernach and the Rhine River, and 37 km from Bonn. Its last volcanic eruption, which was a Plinian eruption, was around 11,000 years B.C., with a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 6, having the same magnitude as the Plinian eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991. It is part of the mountainous Eifel region, and the East Eifel Volcanic Region, which was formed after the collision of the African and Eurasian continents millions of years ago.[3][4][5] Bubbles of odorless CO2 gas called mofettas are released from the lake, which means that the volcano is dormant. To the west of the lake is the Maria Laach Abbey, built in 1092 by Henry II of Laach, Count of the House of Luxembourg.