Lake Tanganyika
A lake in Africa has been in the news the last few years due to a man-eating crocodile (Gustave) that calls it home for part of the year. It is one of the largest lakes in the world.
Lake Tanganyika is situated within the Western Rift of the Great Rift Valley and is confined by the mountainous walls of the valley. It is the largest rift lake in Africa and the second largest lake by surface area on the continent. It is the deepest lake in Africa and holds the greatest volume of fresh water. It extends for 673 km in a general north-south direction and averages 50 km in width. The lake covers 32,900 km², with a shoreline of 1,828km and a mean depth of 570 m and a maximum depth of 1,470 m (4,823 ft) (in the northern basin) it holds an estimated 18,900 km³ (4500 cubic miles). It has an average surface temperature of 25°C and a pH averaging 8.4. Additionally, beneath the 500m of water there is circa 4,500 meters of sediment overlaying the rock floor.
The enormous depth and tropical location of the lake prevent turnover, which means that much of the lower depths of the lake are so-called 'fossil water' and are anoxic. The watershed area of the lake covers 231,000 km², with two main rivers flowing into the lake, numerous smaller rivers and streams, and one major outflow, the Lukuga River, which empties into the Congo River drainage.
The major inflows are the Ruzizi River, entering the north of the lake from Lake Kivu, and the Malagarasi River, which is Tanzania's second largest river, entering in the east side of Lake Tanganyika. The Malagarasi pre-dates Lake Tanganyika and was formerly continuous with the Congo river.
January 12, 2007 10:05 AM | Category: Lake