Devil Mountain Lakes ( Inupiaq: ''Qitiqłiik'') is a maar (a form of

crater lake Crater Lake ( Klamath: ''Giiwas'') is a volcanic crater lake in south-central Oregon in the western United States. It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and is famous for its deep blue color and water clarity. The lake partly fill ...

) in the western part of

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

. The lake is considered to be the largest maar in the world
, Alaska Science Forum and is part of the Espenberg volcanic field, Espenberg volcanic field.

Geography

Devil Mountain Lakes are located about southwest of

Kotzebue Kotzebue ( ) or Qikiqtaġruk ( , ) is a city in the Northwest Arctic Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the borough's seat, by far its largest community and the economic and transportation hub of the subregion of Alaska encompassing t ...

on the northern part of the

Seward Peninsula The Seward Peninsula is a large peninsula on the western coast of the U.S. state of Alaska whose westernmost point is Cape Prince of Wales. The peninsula projects about into the Bering Sea between Norton Sound, the Bering Strait, the Chukchi ...

.
WikiMapia The coordinates are . The crater lake has a diameter of about and is part of the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. Devil Mountain Lakes are rather unusual consisting of a double crater divided into ''North Devil Mountain Lake'' having a diameter of about and ''South Devil Mountain Lake'' having a diameter of about .
Arctic 1996, vol 49, nr 1 There are several maars the ''Killeak Lakes'' (North Killeak maar and South Killeak maar) and ''White Fish Lake'' (Whitefish Maar) close by and the area is sometimes also called ''Espenberg Maars''.

History

The lake was probably shaped during volcanic eruptions about 21,000 years ago during the Pleistocene, Pleistocene Ice Age as

lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...

flows came through the permafrost creating violent underground explosions. On December 1, 1978 the nature reserve was established as "Bering Land Bridge National Monument" changing the name on December 2, 1980 to "Bering Land Bridge National Preserve".

References

External links

About Devil Mountain Lakes
- University of Alaska System
Map of Devil Mountain Lakes
- University of Texas

- National Park Service {{authority control Bodies of water of Nome Census Area, Alaska Lakes of Alaska Maars of Alaska Bodies of water of the Seward Peninsula

Geography

History

See also

References

External links