Lake in Chile vanishes

Updated 16.53 Sat Apr 12 2008
Keywords: global warming, Chile, lake

A large lake in Chile has mysteriously disappeared.

Experts say the giant lake used to hold 200 billion litres of water before it vanished overnight, in less than 12 hours.

It is apparently the second large mass of water to have drained away in under a year

It is apparently the second large mass of water to have drained away in under a year.

Last June, a lake the size of ten football pitches disappeared in the Magallanes region of Chile.

Scientists suspect that the natural phenomena were caused by pressure from large glaciers melting away and forcing a tunnel to form at the bottom of the lakes, draining them of all their water.

Some experts believe the disappearing lakes are another affect of global warming.

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