What are the Various Types of Lakes?

What are the Various Types of Lakes?

Definition of Lakes:

i. A depression on the surface of the earth, where water gets collected is known as a lake.

ii. Lakes of greater size are called the seas-Examples the Caspian, the Dead and the Aral seas.

Various Types of Lakes:

Major types of lakes are: Natural and Artificial.

i. These lakes are further divided as permanent, seasonal. Lakes formed by the action of glaciers, running water, wind and waves.

Ii. Most of the lakes are permanent.

iii. Some of them maintain water flow only during the rainy season, like the lakes in the basins of inland drainage of semiarid regions.

iv. Most of the lakes are the result of the action of glaciers and ice-sheets.

v. Other lakes have been formed by wind, river action and human activities.

a. Valley glaciers and ice-sheets carve out hollows and troughs on the surface of the earth.

b. Later, they get filled with water to form lakes.

c. Examples, Wular and the Dal Lake in Jammu and Kashmir.

d. Wind deflation also produces extensive depressions in arid regions.

e. These depressions extend below the water table and a lake is formed. Examples: Gadisar Lake in Jaisalmer.

vi. A meandering river across a flood plain forms cut-offs.

vii. They later develop into an ‘Ox-blow’ lake.

viii. Spits and bars from lagoons in the coastal area. Examples:Chilika Lake (Orissa).

a. Pulicat Lake (Tamil Nadu)

b. Killeru Lake (Andhra Pradesh).

ix. Lakes in the region of inland drainage are sometimes seasonal.

Examples:

Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan. It is a salt water lake.

x. Dams built on rivers for the generation of hydel power have also led to the formation of a lake like water reservoirs.

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