Watch a Mysterious Lake Disappear Down a Hole

Oregon’s Lost Lake drains down a lava tube every year, only to reappear on schedule.

A placid mountain lake in central Oregon lives up to its name, Lost Lake, by disappearing every spring. This year, video capturing the annual phenomenon has gone viral.

As the above video shows, Lost Lake drains rapidly through a six-foot (two-meter) wide hole in the lake's bottom, morphing into a quiet meadow in late spring. Early in the following spring, the lake fills up again, as snowmelt from the surrounding Cascade mountains accumulates faster than water can drain out through the hole.

That hole is really a lava tube—a geologic feature made when lava cools around the edges of a river of molten rock. After the hot lava drains away, it can leave an empty space. There are many such tubes

DON'T MISS THE REST OF THIS STORY!
Create a free account to continue and get unlimited access to hundreds of Nat Geo articles, plus newsletters.

Create your free account to continue reading

No credit card required. Unlimited access to free content.
Or get a Premium Subscription to access the best of Nat Geo - just $19
SUBSCRIBE

Read This Next

'World’s worst shipwreck' was bloodier than we thought
World’s first ultrasounds of wild manta rays reveal a troubling truth
Titanic was found during secret Cold War Navy mission

Go Further

Subscriber Exclusive Content

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet