Sutton Salt Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sutton Salt Lake |
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 Sutton Salt Lake
Location in Otago peninsula
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| Location | Otago, South Island |
| Coordinates | 45°34′35″S 170°5′12″E / 45.57639°S 170.08667°E |
| Basin countries | New Zealand |
Sutton Salt Lake is a very special place in Otago, New Zealand. It's the only salt water lake in the whole country that isn't near the coast! This unique lake is found about 10 kilometers west of a small town called Sutton, in an area known as the Strath Taieri.
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What Makes Sutton Salt Lake Special?
Sutton Salt Lake is different from most other salt lakes around the world. Most salt lakes are found in very dry, hot places like deserts. But Sutton Salt Lake is in a cool, windy area that gets rain. This makes it quite unusual!
How the Lake Gets Water
The lake only fills up when it rains. It's like a big natural bowl that collects rainwater. When there isn't much rain, or when the weather is warm and sunny, the lake can dry up completely. You can even see the salt crystals left behind when it's dry.
Size of the Lake
When the lake is full of rainwater, it covers an area of almost two hectares. That's about the size of two rugby fields! Even though it's a salt lake, the nearest ocean is quite far away, about 50 kilometers from the lake.
Weather and the Lake
The area around Sutton Salt Lake gets about 500 millimeters of rain each year. That's not a huge amount. There are hills near the coast that block some of the rain, so the lake gets about half the rain it normally would.
Strong winds blow across the lake, which makes the water evaporate quickly. About 700 millimeters of water evaporates from the lake's surface every year. This evaporation is what helps keep the lake salty, even though it's only filled by rainwater.
