Lake

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A lake (from Latin lacus) is a terrain feature (or physical feature), a body of liquid on the surface of a world that is localized to the bottom of basin (another type of landform or terrain feature; that is, it is not global) and moves slowly if it moves at all. On Earth, a body of water is considered a lake when it is inland, not part of the ocean, is larger and deeper than a pond, and is fed by a river. The only world other than Earth known to harbor lakes is Titan, Saturn's largest moon, which has lakes of ethane, most likely mixed with methane. It is not known if Titan's lakes are fed by rivers, though Titan's surface is carved by numerous river beds.

Natural lakes on Earth are generally found in mountainous areas, rift zones, and areas with ongoing or recent glaciation. Other lakes are found in endorheic basins or along the courses of mature rivers. In some parts of the world, there are many lakes because of chaotic drainage patterns left over from the last Ice Age. All lakes are temporary over geologic time scales, as they will slowly fill in with sediments or spill out of the basin containing them.

For more information about Lake, read the full article at Wikipedia.
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News tagged with lake


Greenland glaciers:  What lies beneath

Greenland glaciers: What lies beneath

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created 23 hours ago | popularity 3.3 / 5 (3) | comments 1

Scientists who study the melting of Greenland's glaciers are discovering that water flowing beneath the ice plays a much more complex role than they previously imagined.





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Black Holes in Star Clusters stir up Time and Space

Black Holes in Star Clusters stir up Time and Space (w/ Video)

Space & Earth / Astronomy

created 8 hours ago | popularity 4.8 / 5 (12) | comments 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- Within a decade scientists could be able to detect the merger of tens of pairs of black holes every year, according to a team of astronomers at the University of Bonn’s Argelander-Institut ...


New results from a terra-ific decade in orbit

New results from a terra-ific decade in orbit

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created 23 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

December 18, 2009, marks the tenth year since the launch of Terra, one of NASA's "flagship" Earth observing satellites. But the decade is more than just a mechanical milestone. With each additional day and ...



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