Phoksundo Lake
Phoksundo Lake (Nepali: फोक्सुण्डो, romanized: Phoksuṇḍo, pronounced [pʰoksuɳɖo]) is an alpine fresh water oligotrophic lake in Nepal's Shey Phoksundo National Park, located at an elevation of 3,611.5 m (11,849 ft) in the Dolpa District. Phoksundo Lake is 494 ha (1.91 sq mi) in size with a water volume of 409,000,000 m3 (1.44×1010 cu ft) and a discharge of 3.715 m3/s (131.2 cu ft/s). In 2004, a survey by the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology measured the maximum depth of the lake at 145 m (476 ft). In 2019, another detailed survey was carried out by the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, which measured the maximum depth of the lake at 136.20 m (446.9 ft).
| Phoksundo Lake | |
|---|---|
| फोक्सुण्डो (Nepali) | |
Phoksundo Lake | |
Bathymetric Map of Phoksundo Lake published by Department of Hydrology and Meteorology in 2019 | |
| Location | Dolpa District, Nepal |
| Coordinates | 29°12′30″N 82°57′30″E |
| Primary outflows | Suligad River |
| Basin countries | Nepal |
| Max. length | 5.64 km (3.50 mi) |
| Max. width | 549.89–975.24 m (1,804.1–3,199.6 ft) |
| Surface area | 485 ha (4.85 km2) |
| Max. depth | 136.20 m (446.9 ft) |
| Water volume | 398.73×106 m3 (14.081×109 cu ft) |
| Shore length1 | 18,295.26 m (60,023.8 ft) |
| Surface elevation | 3,589 m (11,775 ft) |
| Designated | 23 September 2007 |
| Reference no. | 1694 |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
In September 2007, Phoksundo Lake has been designated a Ramsar site.
On the lake' southern end, the village of Ringmo sits on the 30,000- to 40,000-year-old landslide dam that formed the lake. Past the dam, the waters of the lake plunge over a 167 m (548 ft) tall waterfall.