Simple facts
Name: Loughareema, or Vanishing Lake
Location: County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Coordinates: 55.157034137386944, -6.1079272599514285
Why it’s unbelievable: The lake can disappear in a few hours.
Loughareema, or Vanishing Lake, is a fleeting lake in Northern Ireland, with unusual geology that scientists still don’t really understand.
Three streams flow into the lake, but the only outlet is the bottom drain, which is frequently blocked and not blocked, causing a dramatic change in water levels.
According to the Geological Association, the mysterious underground drainage system that transports water to the large spring on the Carrie River, 2.5km away, is full and empty at lunchtime. Geologists are not sure how the drainage system works or when it formed, but they can empty the lake with incredible efficiency.
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“Loughareema is a dynamic landscape, and it’s exciting to guess what it will be like with the approach to the lake,” Paul Wilson, a hydrogeologist at the British Geological Survey in Belfast, Northern Ireland, told the Geological Society. “The water disappeared into the underground drainage system, and I know little about it at the moment.”
Related: What is the oldest lake on Earth?
The water flows into the lake and with it sinks into the lake bed, eventually coming with debris covering the drain. Once the hole is completely blocked, the water level rises rapidly. However, once the water reaches a certain level, the pressure exerted on the drain suddenly unblocks, causing the water level to sink rapidly until the lake is virtually empty.
The small path passes through the middle of a vanishing lake, but today it is high enough for cars to pass even at high water levels. The lake is located in a remote location surrounded by marshed blankets. It is a treeless peatland habitat characterized by flooded ground and misty conditions.
Legend has it that at some point in the 19th century, people riding horse-drawn carriages traveling along the roads tried to cross the lake, which disappeared in the middle of the night, and died. According to folklore, carriages and horses still haunt the coastline, appearing as ghosts on nights filled with lakes.
Discover more incredible places that highlight the incredible history and science behind some of the most dramatic landscapes on Earth.
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