Lake Sfânta Ana

Lake Sfânta Ana (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈsfɨnta ˈana]; Hungarian: Szent Anna-tó; lit. 'Saint Anne Lake') is the only crater lake in Romania^[1] located in the volcanic crater of the Ciomad volcano of the Eastern Carpathians, near Tușnad in the Natural Reserve of Mohoș, Harghita County, Romania.

Lacul Sfânta Ana
Lake Sfânta Ana
Lacul Sfânta Ana
Location	Harghita County, Romania
Coordinates	46°7′35″N 25°53′17″E / 46.12639°N 25.88806°E / 46.12639; 25.88806
Type	Volcanic crater lake
Basin countries	Romania
Max. length	620 m (2,030 ft)
Max. width	460 m (1,510 ft)
Surface area	0.2 km^2 (0.077 sq mi)
Average depth	6.4 m (21 ft)
Max. depth	7 m (23 ft)
Shore length^1	1,617 m (5,305 ft)
Surface elevation	946 m (3,104 ft)
^1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Palynology studies concluded that the history of Lake Saint Anne began about 9,800-8,800 years ago, at the stage of peat bog and shallow lake.

The depth of Saint Anne Lake is constantly decreasing. In 1867 it was 12 m, but now it is less than 7 m. In 2005, the maximum depth of the lake was 6.4 m and the sediment thickness was about 4 m. The lake is supplied exclusively from precipitation, therefore the degree of mineralization of the water is very low. The water purity approaches that of distilled water, with only 0.0029 ml mineral.

In winter, the lake is covered with a layer of ice of up to 1 m. The lake is part of the Mohos Nature Reserve.

Near the lake there is a Roman Catholic chapel dedicated to Saint Anne.

Swimming in the lake in general has been prohibited since April 2018.^[2] It is available only for sporting events under special permits.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lake Saint Anne.

References

1. "Sfânta Ana volcanic lake – one of the most beautiful lakes in Romania". 22 January 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
2. AGERPRES. "Harghita: Scăldatul în Lacul Sfânta Ana a fost interzis, pentru protejarea calității apei". www.agerpres.ro.