Lake Leonard is a small freshwater
crater lake in Mount Leonard (also known as
Leonard Kniaseff
Mount Leonard Kniaseff, or simply Leonard Kniaseff (or Leonard Kniazeff), is a stratovolcano between the municipalities of Mabini and Maco in the province of Davao de Oro, island of Mindanao, Philippines.
It has a diameter caldera lake called ...
), an
andesitic-to-
dacitic stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and per ...
complex in the
Leonard Mountain Range which is located northeast of
Davao City
Davao City, officially the City of Davao ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dabaw; ), is a first class highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the largest city in the Philippines in terms of lan ...
in the province of Davao de Oro in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.
Origin
Volcanic activity began 1.1 million years ago in the area and a series of
lava domes in the region surrounding the lake were created in about 290,000 years ago. One of the biggest of these domes collapsed leaving a
caldera
A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. When large volumes of magma are erupted over a short time, structural support for the rock above the magma chamber is ...
that in time filled with water and transformed into a freshwater lake capable of sustaining life. Solfataras (
fumaroles
A fumarole (or fumerole) is a vent in the surface of the Earth or other rocky planet from which hot volcanic gases and vapors are emitted, without any accompanying liquids or solids. Fumaroles are characteristic of the late stages of volcani ...
that emits sulfuric gases) occurring on its southwest rim is evident that under this lake is a sleeping active volcano. Active solfataras, fumaroles, and
hot springs
A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...
are also found in the Amacan-Gopod thermal area south of the lake. The Manat thermal area is located north of Lake Leonard.
Disturbances and threats
The edge of the lake is badly silted as a result of human activities on the upper slopes of the watershed, particularly road construction,
shifting cultivation
Shifting cultivation is an agricultural system in which plots of land are cultivated temporarily, then abandoned while post-disturbance fallow vegetation is allowed to freely grow while the cultivator moves on to another plot. The period of cul ...
and logging. The disposal of
mine tailings is also having a direct adverse impact on the lake's resources. The existing
Philippine crocodile
The Philippine crocodile (''Crocodylus mindorensis''), also known as the Mindoro crocodile, the Philippine freshwater crocodile, the ''bukarot'' in Ilocano, and more generally as a ''buwaya'' in most Filipino lowland cultures, is one of two spec ...
(''Crocodylus mindorensis'') population in the lake is endangered because of the present intensity of human activities; the major threats to the species are accelerated
siltation in the lake, poaching, pesticides pollution and the destruction of the natural vegetation on the lake shore.
References
Lake Leonard Data*
External links
* Geographic data related t
Lake Leonardat
OpenStreetMap
OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a free, open geographic database updated and maintained by a community of volunteers via open collaboration. Contributors collect data from surveys, trace from aerial imagery and also import from other freely licensed g ...
Dasay
Landforms of Davao de Oro
{{DavaoR-geo-stub