Reelfoot Lake in Tennessee was created by fairly recent earthquakes.
The huge New Madrid earthquakes of 1811 and 1812, the strongest ever in the United States, caused a section of land near the Mississippi River in the northwestern corner of Tennessee to fall in.
The waters of the Mississippi quickly rushed in to fill the hole.
The lake is shallow, ranging between 2 and 9 feet (0.6 and 2.7 m) deep, but it is about 20 miles (32 km) long and 5 miles (8 km) wide.
It is home to a large number of American bald eagles.
Reelfoot Lake is said to be named for a legendary Indian chief who had a deformed foot and was called “Reelfoot” by the whites.
Related Posts
-
How Did The 1811 New Madrid Earthquake Cause The Mississippi River To Flow Backwards?
At 2:00 A.M., December 16, 1811, the greatest earthquake ever to hit the United States turned the entire Mississippi River valley upside-down and inside-out. Twenty foot-deep cracks in the earth opened up, some…
-
What Is the Deepest Lake In the World and Why Is Lake Baikal In Siberia Russia the Oldest Lake On Earth?
The deepest lake in the world is Lake Baikal, in Russia's Siberia region. It is 5,369 feet (1,637 m) deep, more than 1 mile, and holds one-fifth of the world's freshwater. Scientists think…
-
What Is the Largest Lake In Africa and Where Are Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika Located?
Lake Victoria, in the countries of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, is the largest lake in Africa and the world's second largest freshwater lake, after Lake Superior on the U.S. Canadian border. Lake Victoria…
-
How Was Crater Lake In Crater Lake National Park Oregon Created?
A volcano in Oregon did just that. Where it was, there now exists Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the United States. Crater Lake is a caldera lake and is famous for its…
-
How Did Crater Lake In Oregon Get Its Name and Was Crater Lake Created By a Meteor Crashing To Earth?
Crater Lake in Oregon was not created by a meteor crashing to earth. Crater Lake is the result of water collecting in the caldera, or crater, created by the volcanic eruption of Mount…
-
Where Did the Deadliest Earthquake In the World Occur and Why Did So Many People Die In the Earthquake?
A terrible earthquake struck central China in 1556, killing about 830,000 people. Most died because they were living in caves made of soft rock, called Loess caves, which collapsed during the quake. More…
