Lake Chichoj facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lake Chichoj |
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 Lake Chichoj
Location in Guatemala
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| Location | San Cristóbal Verapaz, Alta Verapaz Department |
| Coordinates | 15°21′30″N 90°28′40″W / 15.35833°N 90.47778°W |
| Basin countries | Guatemala |
| Surface area | 0.5 km2 (0.19 sq mi) |
| Surface elevation | 1,393 m (4,570 ft) |
Lake Chichoj is a beautiful lake in Guatemala. It is found near the city of San Cristóbal Verapaz in the Alta Verapaz Department. The lake is about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) long and 0.5 kilometers (0.3 miles) wide. It covers an area of 0.5 square kilometers (0.2 square miles). At its deepest point, the lake is about 32 meters (105 feet) deep.
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Where is Lake Chichoj Located?
Lake Chichoj is in the area of San Cristóbal Verapaz, in the Alta Verapaz Department of Guatemala. The land around the lake, called its "catchment area," is a special Protected Area. This helps to keep the lake safe from pollution and harm. Water flows into the lake through underground paths in karstic rock. The area that drains into the lake is about 21 to 23.5 square kilometers (8.1 to 9.1 square miles). The lake's water then flows into the Cahabón River, which eventually reaches the Atlantic Ocean through Lake Izabal.
Ancient Stories About the Lake's Creation
Some old stories from San Cristóbal Verapaz say that Lake Chichoj formed suddenly. They believe it happened during an earthquake in the early 1500s. The stories claim that a church and a Maya village were swallowed up by the collapsing ground. People thought this was a punishment because the villagers had sent away a Christian friar and did not want to become Christians.
An Irish friar named Thomas Gage wrote about this in his 1648 book, "The English-American, or a New Survey of the West Indies." However, Gage was known for exaggerating. Another report by Spanish friars also mentioned a lake forming near San Cristóbal in 1590 CE due to a cave collapse during an earthquake. This event did not damage the local church, suggesting it happened a bit further away. The western part of the lake was already there since at least the 700s.
How Water Moves in the Lake
The temperature of the lake's surface water changes with the seasons. It is about 20°C (68°F) in winter and 25°C (77°F) in summer. The lake gets water from several streams. The Paná River is the most important one, formed by the Chijuljá and Requenzal creeks. Other smaller streams also add water. Some springs feed the lake directly or through the marshy areas around it.
Lake Chichoj drains into the Río El Desagüe, which is a branch of the Cahabón River. This river flows into a cave for hundreds of meters. Some of the city's wastewater is sent through pipes away from the lake. It empties into Río El Desagüe, further downstream from Lake Chichoj.
The lake itself was formed from at least three dolines, which are like large sinkholes. These likely formed when gypsum rock deep underground dissolved. This process created the depressions that filled with water to become the lake.
Lake Chichoj: Changes and Challenges
Over time, Lake Chichoj has faced some environmental issues.
What is Eutrophication?
Eutrophication happens when a lake gets too many nutrients. This can cause too much plant growth, like algae and water hyacinths. It can happen naturally over thousands of years as a lake fills up. But it can also happen very quickly, in just a few decades, because of human activities.
Since the 1950s, Lake Chichoj has suffered from a lot of pollution and eutrophication. This is due to things like cutting down forests, using fertilizers on farms, and city growth. Studies since the 1970s have looked into why this is happening. Most studies agree that the main problem is untreated city wastewater, more than farming.
Water Hyacinths and Shrinking Lake
A big sign of eutrophication is the huge growth of water hyacinths (Eichhornia crassipes). These plants form large floating mats on the lake. People work hard to remove them to keep the lake's open water clear. The removed hyacinths are then turned into compost for gardening.
Many local people remember that the wide marshlands around the lake used to be open water in the 1950s. There is an old shoreline about 1 to 1.4 meters (3 to 4.6 feet) above the current lake level. This supports the idea that the lake was once larger. Eutrophication causes lakes to fill up quickly with dead plant material, turning open water into marshland. This is likely why Lake Chichoj's surface area has shrunk.
Chromium Pollution in the Lake
Since the 1950s, the lake has also been polluted with chromium. This pollution has increased a lot, reaching 20 times normal levels by 2005. The chromium comes from a shoe factory called Calzado Cobán, which uses it for tanning leather.
Luckily, chromium does not seem to build up in fish or crayfish in the lake. However, it collects in the roots of water hyacinths. When these roots die and fall off, the chromium goes into the lake's sediments. Since many water hyacinths are removed from the lake and used as fertilizer, this helps to take some of the chromium out of the lake environment.
Why Forest Cover is Important
Only about 20% of the land around Lake Chichoj is covered by forest. More and more trees are being cut down to make space for farming, especially because people need jobs and food.
Losing forests is a big problem, especially on steep hills. Without trees, soil can easily wash away when it rains. This soil then flows into streams and into the lake, making it shallower. Less forest also means less water goes into the deep underground water sources.
Earthquake Risk Near the Lake
Lake Chichoj is very close to the Chixoy-Polochic Fault, which is a major fault line. This fault is the biggest earthquake risk for San Cristóbal Verapaz. The lake's sediments hold a record of past earthquakes. These include a large M 7.8 earthquake in 1976 and several M 7 earthquakes between 850 CE and 1450 CE.
Earthquakes can also cause other dangers around the lake. The low-lying marshlands are being built on more and more. During an earthquake, these areas can shake more strongly. They can also experience soil liquefaction, where the ground turns into a liquid-like state. If the lake overflows during an earthquake, these areas could also flood. Large waves, called seiche waves, can also form in the lake during earthquakes.
Ground Collapses and Sinkholes
Geological studies suggest that Lake Chichoj sits above a large amount of gypsum rock. When gypsum dissolves, it can cause the ground to collapse. The lake itself is made up of at least three connected dolines (sinkholes) that formed this way. These dolines are likely only a few tens of thousands of years old. The marshlands around the lake might also be covering similar, hidden sinkholes.
This means that the ground could sink again in the future if the gypsum continues to dissolve. This sinking could be slow and steady, or it could happen suddenly. It's even possible that the marshes are already sinking, but this has not been checked. Sinking could also happen as sediments slowly compact and organic material in the soil breaks down.
Flooding Risks
The wetlands around the lake cover about 0.63 square kilometers (0.24 square miles). They are surrounded by an old shoreline, which suggests the lake was once larger. It's not fully clear why the lake has shrunk. It might be because the open water turned into wetlands, or because the lake's outlet drains more efficiently.
However, it's possible that the lake level could rise again in the future. This would flood areas that have now been built on. Also, the lake's outlet drains into a cave. If this cave gets blocked by debris after heavy storms, water could build up. This could cause the lake level to rise by about 4 meters (13 feet) before it overflows.
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See also
In Spanish: Chichoj para niños
