Lakes

Lakes are bodies of water surrounded by land. They cover about one percent of the surface of the earth and contain about 0.02 percent of the water of the earth. Lakes are relatively new from a geological point of view. They are very transitory because they are continually being formed or destroyed. Some are destroyed because they are dried up by declines in their water source(s), or by silting, or by earthquakes, or by other geologic actions. Humans have also played a major role in the destruction of lakes. Excessive drawing down of the water levels [Page 1001]of lakes by humans can easily destroy their unique ecosystems. For example, Lake Huleh on the Jordan River above the Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberius) has been drained ...