Red Lake (Croatia)

Crveno Jezero Red Lake
Coordinates	43°27′11″N 17°11′48″E / 43.45306°N 17.19667°E / 43.45306; 17.19667Coordinates: 43°27′11″N 17°11′48″E / 43.45306°N 17.19667°E / 43.45306; 17.19667
Lake type	former cave
Basin countries	Croatia
Average depth	281 m (?)
Max. depth	Unknown
Surface elevation	522 m
Settlements	Imotski

Red Lake (Croatian: Crveno jezero) is a sinkhole containing a karst lake near the city of Imotski, Croatia. It is known for its numerous caves and remarkably high cliffs, reaching over 241 metres above normal water level and continuing below the water level. The total explored depth of this sinkhole is approximately 530 metres with a volume of roughly 25-30 million cubic meters^[1], thus it is one of the largest sinkholes in the world.^{[citation needed]} Water drains out of the basin through underground waterways that descend below the level of the lake floor.

The sinkhole is named after the reddish-brown color of the surrounding cliffs^[2], colored by iron oxides.

Like the nearby Blue Lake, it is presumed that the lake emerged when the ceiling of a large cave hall collapsed.^[2]

The lake is a habitat of the near-endemic fish Delminichthys adspersus (Heckel, 1843). In the dry period of the year this fish can be occasionally seen in surrounding springs, rivers and lakes, suggesting that there is an underground connection between Red Lake and other water bodies.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Crveno Jezero - Red Lake". Wondermondo. http://www.wondermondo.com/Countries/E/Croatia/SplitDalmatia/CrvenoJezero.htm. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Natural beauties". Split and Dalmatia county Tourist Board. http://dnn.com.hr/Default.aspx?tabid=2233. 

External links

• Media related to Red Lake, Croatia at Wikimedia Commons
• Stamp by Croatian post (Croatian)