Boiling Lake
Encyclopedia
Dominica's Boiling Lake is situated in the Morne Trois Pitons National Park
- Dominica's
World Heritage site
. It is a flooded fumarole
6.5 miles (10.5 km) east of Roseau, Dominica. It is filled with bubbling greyish-blue water that is usually enveloped in a cloud of vapour. The lake is approximately 200 ft (60 m) across.
The first recorded sighting of the lake was in 1870 by Mr. Watt and Dr. Nicholls, two Englishmen working in Dominica at that time. In 1875, Mr. H. Prestoe, a government botanist, and Dr. Nicholls were commissioned to investigate this natural phenomenon. They measured the water temperature and found it to range from 180 to 197 degrees Fahrenheit (82 to 91.5 Celsius) along the edges, but could not measure the temperature at the centre where the lake is actively boiling. They recorded the depth to be greater than 195 ft (59 m).
Periodically, there have been fluctuations in the level and activity of the lake. It was all but empty in June 2006, however as of January 2009 the lake is full and boiling vigorously.
There is no road leading directly to the lake. It is approximately a 13 kilometer hike to the lake from the nearest road, passing sulfur
springs, over mountains and through gorges along the way.
On July 6, 2007, adventure-film maker George Kourounis
became the first person to ever cross the boiling lake from above, suspended by ropes over the most violently boiling section. This event was filmed for the TV series Angry Planet
.
Dominica's Boiling Lake is the second largest hot spring
in the world. The largest is Frying Pan Lake
, located in Waimangu Valley near Rotorua
, New Zealand
.
Morne Trois Pitons National Park
Morne Trois Pitons National Park is a World Heritage Site located in the Caribbean island of Dominica. This area was established as a national park by the Dominican government in July 1975, the first to be legally established in the country...
- Dominica's
Dominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
World Heritage site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
. It is a flooded fumarole
Fumarole
A fumarole is an opening in a planet's crust, often in the neighborhood of volcanoes, which emits steam and gases such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrochloric acid, and hydrogen sulfide. The steam is created when superheated water turns to steam as its pressure drops when it emerges from...
6.5 miles (10.5 km) east of Roseau, Dominica. It is filled with bubbling greyish-blue water that is usually enveloped in a cloud of vapour. The lake is approximately 200 ft (60 m) across.
The first recorded sighting of the lake was in 1870 by Mr. Watt and Dr. Nicholls, two Englishmen working in Dominica at that time. In 1875, Mr. H. Prestoe, a government botanist, and Dr. Nicholls were commissioned to investigate this natural phenomenon. They measured the water temperature and found it to range from 180 to 197 degrees Fahrenheit (82 to 91.5 Celsius) along the edges, but could not measure the temperature at the centre where the lake is actively boiling. They recorded the depth to be greater than 195 ft (59 m).
Periodically, there have been fluctuations in the level and activity of the lake. It was all but empty in June 2006, however as of January 2009 the lake is full and boiling vigorously.
There is no road leading directly to the lake. It is approximately a 13 kilometer hike to the lake from the nearest road, passing sulfur
Sulfur
Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
springs, over mountains and through gorges along the way.
On July 6, 2007, adventure-film maker George Kourounis
George Kourounis
George Kourounis , is a Canadian adventurer, television presenter, storm chaser, and explorer, currently best known for his television series Angry Planet. He specializes in documenting extreme weather and worldwide natural disasters...
became the first person to ever cross the boiling lake from above, suspended by ropes over the most violently boiling section. This event was filmed for the TV series Angry Planet
Angry Planet
Angry Planet is a 39 part television series broadcast around the world featuring the adventures of storm chaser George Kourounis, Angry Planet is produced by Peter Rowe of Pinewood Films...
.
Dominica's Boiling Lake is the second largest hot spring
Hot spring
A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. There are geothermal hot springs in many locations all over the crust of the earth.-Definitions:...
in the world. The largest is Frying Pan Lake
Frying Pan Lake
Frying Pan Lake is the largest hot spring in the world. It is located in Waimangu Volcanic Rift Valley, New Zealand....
, located in Waimangu Valley near Rotorua
Rotorua
Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing the city and several other nearby towns...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.