Little Crater Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Little Crater Lake |
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 Little Crater Lake
Location in Oregon
Little Crater Lake
Location in the United States
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| Location | Mount Hood National Forest, Clackamas County, Oregon, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 45°08′52″N 121°44′52″W / 45.1478°N 121.7477°W |
| Primary inflows | Cold spring |
| Max. width | 100 feet (30 m) |
| Max. depth | 45 feet (14 m) |
Little Crater Lake is a small, beautiful lake found in the Mount Hood National Forest in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. It gets its water from a very cold underground spring. The lake is named after the much larger Crater Lake, also in Oregon, because both lakes are famous for their amazing blue water.
Why Little Crater Lake Is Unique
Little Crater Lake is quite special and a bit of a mystery to scientists. It's known for its very steep walls that hang over the water. This makes it look different from most other lakes.
How It Might Have Formed
Geologists, who study the Earth, have different ideas about how Little Crater Lake was made.
- Some early scientists thought it might have formed when a lava tube collapsed. A lava tube is like a tunnel created by flowing lava.
- Later, other scientists suggested it could be a volcanic maar. This is a wide, shallow crater formed by a volcanic explosion.
- Another idea is that it was created by fault block movement. This happens when large blocks of the Earth's crust move up or down along cracks called faults.
No matter how it formed, the hole created by these events is now filled with water. This water comes from an artesian spring. An artesian spring is where water from underground is pushed up to the surface naturally.
Cold, Clear Water
The water in Little Crater Lake is always super cold! It stays at a constant 34 °F (1.1 °C) all year round. This very cold water is also incredibly clear, which helps give the lake its beautiful blue color, just like its famous namesake, Crater Lake.
