Kroner Lake

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Kroner Lake is a circular lake on Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands of the British Antarctic Territory.

The lake is 400 yards in diameter, and lies to the north of Penfold Point and immediately west of Whalers Bay.

During the volcanic eruption of February 1969 the lake was breached on its south-eastern side to form a lagoon.

Naming and surveys

The lake was originally named 'Tokroningen', meaning 'two kroner piece'; a name given by Norwegian whalers during the period 1905–31. The original name was altered to Kroner Lake in 1950, by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee following a survey of Deception Island by Lieutenant Commander D.N. Penfold of the Royal Navy, in 1948–49.

Various other names have been attached to this lake: the Chilean Antarctic Expedition named it Laguna Galvarino after a sixteenth century Auracanian chief named Galvarino (born around 1557). The Royal Navy Hydrographic Survey Unit, following a survey in 1948-49, named it 'Lake Pennilea after Loch Pennilea. This was shortly afterwards revised to the current accepted name, 'Kroner Lake'.

An Argentinean expedition in the 1950 called the lake Laguna Verde, meaning "Green Lake" from the colour of its waters, though also the charts have 'Lago Pennilea' and 'Lago Sulfuroso', the llatter meaning "Sulphurous Lake" in reference to its chemical content.

Antarctic Specially Protected Area

The lake forms part of an Antarctic Specially Protected Area ('ASPA 140'), comprising several separate sites on Deception Island, and designated as such primarily for its botanic and ecological values.[1]

Location

References

  1. "Parts of Deception Island, South Shetland Islands". Management Plan for Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 140: Measure 3, Appendix 1. Antarctic Treaty Secretariat. 2005. http://www.ats.aq/documents/recatt/Att242_e.pdf. Retrieved 2013-09-28. 
  • Gazetteer and Map of The British Antarctic Territory: Kroner Lake